Little Sand

Little Sand Lake is located approximately six miles northeast of Squaw Lake, MN, and within the Big Fork River Watershed. The 361 acre lake of which 231 acres is less than 15 feet deep, a 19 foot maximum depth and is moderately developed along the 3.6 mile shoreline. A state owned public access is located just north of Little Sand Lake on the Bowstring River, which flows north to Rice Lake. There are two inlets to Little Sand: the Bowstring River from Sand Lake and Stone Axe Creek. Water clarity has ranged from 3.9 - 11.5 feet. Neighboring Sand Lake currently has special regulations for Walleye and Northern Pike and Little Sand Lake is included in those regulations. Current regulations require: 1) Northern Pike between 22"-36" to be released with one over 36" allowed, a possession limit of nine and 2) Walleye between 17"-26" to be released with one over 26" allowed, a possession limit of six. The 2002 Lake Management Plan (LMP) lists Walleye and Yellow Perch as primary management species and Northern Pike and Black Crappie as secondary species. The LMP goals were to: maintain the Walleye gill net catch rate above 3.0 fish/net; maintain the Yellow Perch gill net catch near 21.5 fish/net; maintain the Northern Pike gill net catch near 4.8 fish/net and maintain the Black Crappie catch for gill nets or trap nets near 2.0 fish/net. A standard survey was conducted in June of 2016 to assess the status and characteristics of the fish community using six gill nets and nine trap nets. Little Sand Lake has a Walleye population maintained by natural reproduction and/or immigration. Walleye are not stocked in Little Sand Lake, but are regularly stocked in adjacent Sand Lake. Walleye were captured at a rate of 1.7/gill net, which is within the typical range for lakes with similar habitat, but was the lowest recorded in any survey. Walleye gill net catch rates had been at or above the management goal of 3.0/net in five of six previous surveys. A total of ten Walleye were captured in gill nets, ranging in length from 6.7 - 18.7 inches, with a mean weight of 1.0 pounds. Walleye growth was below the statewide average with an average length of 13.8 inches at age-4. Six age classes were represented in the sample. The Yellow Perch gill net catch rate decreased from 15.7/net in 1999 to 7.8/net, which is within the typical range for similar lakes, but is the lowest recorded catch rate. Management goals were not met. Yellow Perch gill net catch rates in previous surveys ranged from 15.7 - 33.6/net. Yellow Perch from gill nets ranged in length from 5.2 - 10.0 inches and averaged 7.3 inches. Six consecutive age classes were represented in the sample and growth rates were similar to the statewide average with an average length of 7.0 inches at age-4. The Northern Pike catch rate increased from 3.8/gill net in 1999 to 6.0/gill net but was within the typical range for similar lakes and meeting management goals. Northern Pike ranged in length from 11.4 - 32.5 inches and averaged 18.3 inches. Little Sand has the potential to produce larger Northern Pike as fish over 28 inches have been sampled in every survey. Five age classes were represented in the sample; however, 81% were age-2 or age-3. Growth was near the statewide average with an average length of 16.5 inches at age-3. A total of three Black Crappie were captured in gill nets for a catch rate of 0.5/net. None were sampled in trap nets and the management goal was not met. Black Crappie are difficult to sample during the summer due to their habit of suspending above the gill nets. A special survey targeting Black Crappie and Bluegill was conducted two weeks prior to the standard survey. Results of that survey are contained in a separate report. One Bluegill was sampled in a gill net, and none in trap nets. Bluegill trap net catch rates have been below the typical range for similar lakes in all surveys. The targeted survey indicated a low density, fast growing Bluegill population. Other species sampled included: Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Rock Bass, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse, Tullibee, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. Zebra mussels are present in Little Sand Lake. Anglers and boaters are reminded to help stop the spread of invasive species by removing all aquatic plants from boats, trailers and equipment. All drain plugs must be removed and live and bait wells must be drained before leaving the access. Anglers and boaters are encouraged to power wash and thoroughly dry all equipment prior to use in another water body.

Little Sand Lake is located approximately six miles northeast of Squaw Lake, MN, and within the Big Fork River Watershed. The 361 acre lake has 231 acres which are less than 15 feet deep, a 19 foot maximum depth and is moderately developed along the 3.6 mile shoreline. A state owned public access is located just north of the lake on the Bowstring River, which outlets to Rice Lake. There are two inlets to Little Sand: the Bowstring River from Sand Lake and Stone Axe Creek In 2016, a spring targeted survey was conducted on Little Sand Lake to obtain information on the Bluegill population and to supplement data from the spring targeted panfish survey on adjacent Sand Lake. This was the first targeted panfish survey of Little Sand Lake. Sampling consisted of ten trap nets set from 5/31/16 - 6/3/16. Night electrofishing was conducted on 6/9/16 in order to increase the sample size and compare it to the trap net sample. A total of 31 Bluegill were sampled in trap nets for a catch rate of 1.0/net. Bluegill ranged in length from 7.4 - 9.8 inches with a mean length of 8.6 inches. A total of 42 Bluegill were sampled electrofishing for a catch rate of 37.5/hr. Bluegill ranged in length from 7.0 - 9.5 inches, with an average length of 8.3 inches. Due to the small sample size, fish sampled by both gear types were combined for growth estimates. Bluegill attained a length of 8.2 inches by age-5, which is well above the average for lakes with similar habitats. The sample consisted of four age classes, however 90% were age-4 or age-5. Based on this assessment, the population could be described as low density and fast growing. Electrofishing produced results similar to trap nets. Either method appears to be preferable to summer trap netting, as only one Bluegill was sampled in trap nets during the standard survey which started June 20. A total of 20 Black Crappie were sampled in trap nets for a catch rate of 0.7/net. Black Crappie ranged in length from 9.6 - 12.8 inches with an average length of 11.2 inches. Black Crappie attained a length of 10.8 inches by age-5. Three age classes were represented in the sample (3-5), but 70% were age-5. Zebra mussels are present in Little Sand Lake. Anglers and boaters are reminded to help stop the spread of invasive species by removing all aquatic plants from boats, trailers and equipment. All drain plugs must be removed and live and bait wells must be drained before leaving the access. Anglers and boaters are encouraged to power wash and thoroughly dry all equipment prior to use in another water body.

Little Sand Lake is 361 acres and located in northern Itasca County. Little Sand Lake is connected to Sand Lake to the south and to Rice Lake and the Bowstring River to the north. The lake has abundant aquatic vegetation and is generally shallow with a maximum depth of 19 ft. Because of its small size and shallow basin, Little Sand Lake would not be expected to provide a walleye fishery. However, Little Sand Lake has a good walleye fishery which likely results from walleye movement throughout the Bowstring River system. The walleye gill-net catch was 3.7/set which is higher than the expected range for similar lakes. Although abundance was high compared to similar lakes, size structure was poor with some fish exceeding 15 inches and very few exceeding 20 inches. Because walleye can make extensive spawning movements throughout the Bowstring River system, summer gill net assessments likely do not represent walleye abundance at other times of the year. Walleye growth rates were slower than statewide averages and in general it takes 8 years for walleye in Little Sand Lake to reach preferred length of 20 inches. Because most walleye in a lake greater than 19 inches are females, and it takes better than 8 years to replace a fish of this size, anglers should consider releasing walleye greater than 19 inches. Northern pike gill-net catch was 3.8/set which was lower than the expected range for similar lakes. Size structure was poor with very few fish exceeding 28 inches. Northern pike growth is similar to statewide averages for ages 1 to 5 and slower than statewide averages for ages 5 to 10. On average, it takes 8 years for northern pike to reach a preferred length of 28 inches in Little Sand Lake. Bluegill trap-net catch was 2.6/net which is lower than the first quartile of 8.3/set. Low abundance is often favorable because high abundance often leads to poor growth and size structure. Bluegill size structure was excellent with a mean length of 8 inches. Anglers are often unaware that bluegill grow slowly compared to other species. On average it takes 7 to 8 years for bluegill to reach 8 inches. Because it takes so long to replace an 8 inch or better bluegill, anglers should consider releasing a portion of their catch. Black crappie trap-net catch was 0.6/set which is within the expected range for similar lakes. No black crappie were sampled in the gill nets. Although the abundance is low, the size structure was excellent with all the fish sampled exceeding 8 inches. Black crappie growth was similar to statewide averages with fish attaining 10 inches in 6 years.Yellow perch gill-net abundance was 15.7/set which was within the expected range for similar lakes. Size structure was moderate with a few fish exceeding 8 inches. Other fish present include black bullhead, brown bullhead, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, tullibee, white sucker, and bowfin.

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

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

Little Sand has a maximum depth of 19 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Little Sand is from 2016. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

Yes — Little Sand has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.