Sand

Sand Lake is in lake class 32, is 118 acres, 36 ft deep, and is located near Warba. Littoral area is 64%, water clarity was good with a secchi depth of 13.0 ft, and alkalinity was 37 ppm indicating moderate productivity. Shoreline development is moderate with 14 homes or cabins counted in this survey. The lake does not have a public access, however, two private ramps allow access. The lake is primarily a bass-panfish lake although northern pike and walleye are also present.Largemouth bass electrofishing was conducted on June 4th during the nighttime. Only five fish were sampled with a catch rate of 2.9 fish/hour. This is the first time largemouth bass were sampled with electrofishing on Sand Lake, therefore it is difficult to make conclusions regarding the largemouth bass population with only one sample. Largemouth bass were not sampled with gill nets or trap nets during this survey. Bluegill trap net catch was 42.9/set which is within the expected range for similar lakes. Bluegill abundance has historically been highly variable with trap net catches of 3.0 to 129.5/set in 1991 and 1978 respectively. Bluegill size structure was poor and no fish greater than 8 inches were sampled. Bluegill growth was slightly below statewide averages. Historically the bluegill population in Sand Lake has been dominated by small fish.Black crappie gill net catch was 3.6/set which is the highest abundance recorded for the lake. Gill net catch was within the expected range for similar lakes. Black crappie size structure was poor with only one fish sampled greater than 9 inches. Northern pike gill net catch was 6.0/set which is within the expected range. Mean weight was 1.5 pounds and length varied from 12 to 27 inches. Size structure was poor with no fish larger than 28 inches sampled. Walleye gill net catch was 0.1/set which is below the expected range. Walleye were last stocked in 1988. The presence of walleye indicates that there is at least some limited natural reproduction. Because Sand Lake does not have a public access, and yellow perch abundance is low, it is unlikely that walleye will be stocked in the near future. Yellow perch have historically been in low abundance, however, no yellow perch were sampled in this survey.Since the quality of a lake largely depends on how the lands surrounding the lake are developed it is important that lakeshore owners develop their lakeshore responsibly. Some items which lakeshore owners should consider include leaving a 30 ft buffer strip of natural vegetation along the shoreline to prevent erosion and debris from washing into the lake, inspecting septic systems to ensure that they are functioning properly and are up to present standards, and eliminate fertilizer usage. If fertilizers must be used, choosing a low or no phosphorous brand will lessen the impacts of fertilizer usage.

The gill net and trap net catch indices were compared with lake class #8. The yellow bullhead gill net catch rate was the only index that exceeded the third quartile value indicating that this species probably had a high population in this lake. With the exception of black crappie all other panfish species (bluegill, pumpkinseed, and yellow perch) net catches were below the first quartile thus indicating low populations.The northern pike population appears to be within normal limits as the current gill net CPUE (6.3 fish per net) fell within the quartile range (2.6-7.3 fish per net).Only 1 walleye was sampled which upon aging appeared to result from 1986, a year of fry stocking. Two attempts were made to establish a walleye population by stocking walleye fry in 1986 and 1988 but appear to have been unsuccessful. The lack of yellow perch as a prey base probably contributed to the failure to establish a walleye fishery in this lake (only one yellow perch was captured).Largemouth bass appear to be present in the lake. Although none were sampled in gill nets or trap nets, 6 bass were captured on one of the seine hauls.The fish community is typical of what was expected for lake class #8. According to net catches for this assessment, the fish community within this lake consisted of four piscivorous (fish eating) species (northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, and bowfin); and five secondary (other) species which included bluegills, pumpkinseed, black crappies, yellow perch, and yellow bullheads.

Northern pike numbers were higher than state and local medians and were all quite large in size. Bluegill abundance is very high but they are small. Size and numbers of largemouth bass are above average for state and local area.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Northern Pike, Walleye, and Black Crappie in Sand. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Sand. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Sand has a maximum depth of 36 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Sand is from 1998. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

No invasive species are on record for Sand in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.