South Sugar

South Sugar is an 88 acre lake located six miles southwest of Grand Rapids in the Mississippi River headwaters watershed. The lake is connected to Sisseebakwet (Sugar) Lake through a shallow channel navigable by small boats. South Sugar is relatively lightly developed and has clear water. The lake supports a variety of aquatic vegetation which provides good habitat for Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike and panfish. A standard survey was conducted in mid-summer 2017 to collect updated information on the fishery. Largemouth Bass were sampled with spring night electrofishing at a rate of 86/hr of on-time. This is a relatively high catch compared to other lakes in the Grand Rapids area. Size structure was good with bass averaging 15.0 inches and 2.2 pounds. Ages 3-13 were represented in the sample with no dominant year class. Growth was similar to other area lakes, averaging 14.8 inches at age 6. Black Crappie numbers increased from the two previous surveys, and were higher than average for lakes with similar habitat. Crappie averaged 5.2 inches from gill nets and 7.8 inches from trap nets. The gill-net catch was mostly small fish from the 2016 year class. The trap-net sample had a better size structure with some fish over 10 inches present. Ages 1-9 were represented in the combined sample, but age 1 and 2 crappie made up 63% of the age distribution. Black Crappie growth was average, with crappie averaging 8.9 inches at age 5. Bluegill numbers were down from the previous survey, and below the typical range for similar lakes. Bluegill size structure has generally been poor in all surveys. Fish in the 2017 trap-net sample ranged from 3.2 to 7.5 inches with an average length of 4.5 inches. Size structure was influenced by a high proportion of young fish. Ages 1-9 were represented in the sample but age 2 fish made up 70% of the age distribution. The average length of 5.8 inches at age 5 was typical for lakes of this type. The Northern Pike gill-net catch was within the typical range for lakes with similar habitat and slightly higher than the two previous surveys. Size structure was moderate; fish ranged from 17.8 to 32.1 inches with an average length of 23.4 inches. Ages 2-5 and 7 were represented with age 3 the most frequently sampled. The average length of 23.4 inches at age 4 was above average (20.4). Other species sampled in test nets included Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, Walleye and Yellow Perch. Overall, South Sugar Lake provides good angling opportunities for Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike and panfish. Anglers can help maintain or improve the quality of fish populations by practicing selective harvest of smaller fish while releasing medium to large fish. Shoreland owners practicing proper shoreline management practices can reduce erosion, help maintain water quality and ensure that fish habitat remains healthy.

South Sugar Lake is an 88-acre lake located 6 miles southwest of Grand Rapids, MN. The lake is in lake class 28, has a maximum depth of 36 ft and a littoral area of 30 acres. The public access is through the county right of way where anglers can launch small boats. The lake is connected to Sisseebakwet Lake through a channel navigable by small boats. The northern pike gill net catch was 3.3/net, which was similar to the lower end of the expected range. The only previous assessment was conducted in 1994 and the catch rate at that time was 5.0/net. Size structure was moderate with few fish over 30 inches indicating potential to grow memorable length fish. Growth was faster than the statewide average with fish reaching 24 inches by age three. The bluegill trap-net catch was 12.1/net and was within the expected range for similar lakes. The catch rate in 1994 was similar at 15.5/net. Size structure was poor with very few fish greater than 8 inches. Growth was slower than the lake class average with fish only reaching 6 inches by age seven. Largemouth bass were sampled with night electrofishing for a catch rate of 109.8/h. This catch rate was much higher than other area lakes, which average around 30/h. Size structure was excellent with fish up to 19 inches sampled. Growth was similar to the statewide average. Yellow perch gill-net catch was 2.0/gill net and was similar to the lower end of the expected range. The yellow perch catch rate in 1994 was 10.5/net. Size structure was poor with no fish larger than 9 inches sampled. Other species sampled in low numbers were walleye and black crappie. Walleye catch rate was 0.5/net, which was similar to the 1994 catch rate of 0.3/net. No black crappie were sampled in gill nets, and only one fish was sampled in trap nets. Other fish sampled include, black bullhead, brown bullhead, pumpkinseed sunfish, golden shiner, rock bass, tullibee, white sucker, and yellow bullhead.

This lake appears to support good panfish, largemouth bass and northern pike populations. Largemouth bass were sampled within the range that would be expected for this type of lake. The bass that were sampled in the gill nets had a mean weight of 1.8 pounds and a mean length of 13.3 inches. Black crappies were sampled in the gill nets at a rate that is higher than average for similar type lakes and sampled in the trap nets at a rate within the normal range. The crappies sampled in the gill nets had a mean length of 6.5 inches whereas those from the trap nets had a mean length of 8.6 inches. Bluegills were sampled at a rate near the median level for this lake type. These fish ranged from 3.6 to 8.1 inches in length. Northern pike were also sampled at a rate near the median value. However, the mean size is above average. The northern pike sampled in the gill nets had a mean weight of 4.4 pounds and a mean length of 25.4 inches. The largest northern pike sampled was 33.1 inches in length. Yellow perch were sampled at a rate near the median level but were relatively small. The yellow perch had a mean length of 6.4 inches. Overall, although only one walleye was sampled, the populations of other gamefish appear to be fairly healthy. Anglers practicing catch-and-release and shoreline owners practicing proper shoreline management practices can ensure that the fish community remains healthy.

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

Minnesota DNR records list public access for South Sugar. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

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

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in South Sugar is from 2017. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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