Sucker

Sucker Lake is a small lake in northeastern Itasca county with a county-owned access that includes an earthen ramp and one campsite at the end of the forest road on the southeast corner of the lake. The water is so darkly stained from bog drainage that sunlight can only reach a depth of 5 feet, therefore all aquatic plants are restricted to a narrow zone around the shoreline. The lake was stratified by temperature and the thermocline (zone where water cools rapidly) began at 5 feet. Due to its small size, the lake is sheltered from wind action on the lake's surface, therefore limiting the depth at which vertically generated wave currents can mix the lake's surface water with cooler deeper water. Dissolved oxygen levels were adequate to support fish down to a depth of 24 feet. Below 8 ft, the water is cooler than 60?F, which could provide desirable habitat for cool water species such as northern pike. However, due to poor water clarity this cool-water zone lacks aquatic vegetation. This was the initial population assessment so nine trap net and three gill-net stations were established. Several fish species were sampled and included black crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch, white sucker, golden shiner, and northern pike. Black crappie are the primary species of interest and were caught in trap nets at a rate of 7.7 fish per net and ranged in length from 4.0-10.3 inches. Only 25% of fish sampled were over 8 inches in length. A smaller portion of black crappies were aged and expanded to include the entire catch of 68 fish. Fish from ages 2 through 6 were captured, however age three fish represented 52% of the catch. Growth analysis indicated that black crappies need to survive 6 years to attain 9 inches in this lake, while on average they usually attain this size in 5 years. Bluegill were the most abundant species sampled in trap nets at 17.9 per trap net and consisted of mainly small fish, as 45% were less than 6 inches in length. A sample of bluegill were aged and expanded to the entire catch of 161 fish. Fish were sampled from age 1 through 8, however 52% were age 3. Growth analysis indicated that bluegill need to grow and survive for 5 years to attain 6 inches, which is similar to other lakes of this type. Pumpkinseed sunfish were common in the trap nets and were caught at a rate of 3.3 per trap net and ranged in length from 4.2 to 7.0 inches with a mean length of 5.4 inches. Yellow perch were also common in both the gill nets and trap nets as they were caught at rates of 4.7 and 15.3/net, respectively. The catch contained mostly small, 5-6 inch fish. Less than 2% exceeded 8 inches and no individual fish exceeded 10 inches in length. An abundance of small yellow perch along with golden shiners and a small population of white suckers provide a prey base for a low population of northern pike. Only five northern pike were captured, four in gill nets and one in trap nets and they ranged from 22.8 to 29.9 inches in length. Three largemouth bass were captured with trap nets indicating their presence in this lake. Small rock bass, 4.7 to 7.1 inches in length were also sampled in trap nets at a rate of 0.9 fish per trap net. Several species were examined for external parasites and most yellow perch were found to either be infected with Neascus or yellow grub while most other species were either clean or lightly infected with Neascus.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Hybrid Sunfish, and Pumpkinseed in Sucker. 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 Sucker. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Sucker has a maximum depth of 61 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Sucker is from 2002. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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