Susan

Susan Lake is located approximately four miles north of Wakemup, Minnesota. This 275-acre lake has a maximum depth of 10 feet and dark tannin-stained water. A fisheries survey was completed in Susan Lake during the 2025 field season as part of a regular rotation of surveys in the International Falls Management Area. Susan Lake fishing regulations follow statewide regulations for inland waters. Northern Pike regulations follow the North-East zone regulation. Walleye gill net catch rate was 4.67 fish per net, which was above average compared to similar lakes.. Total length ranged from 15 to 22.6 inches with an average length of 17.3 inches. Average weight was 1.71 pounds, which was above average compared to similar lakes. Nine year-class were present, and ages ranged from 3 to 16 years old. Good Walleye abundance has been fully supported by natural reproduction. With good numbers of 15-to-22-inch Walleye, Susan Lake provides a good opportunity for anglers targeting Walleye. Northern Pike gill net catch rate was 2.17 per net, average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 15.0 to 24.3 inches with an average length of 18.1 inches. Average weight was 1.16 pounds and was below average compared to similar lakes. Susan Lake provides moderate fishing opportunity for Northern Pike, with lower abundance and smaller size structure. Bluegill trap net catch rate was 4.9 fish per net, which was above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 3.7 to 9.9 inches with an average length of 7.7 inches. Average weight was 0.4 pounds, which was above average compared to similar lakes. With above average catch rates and a good size structure, Susan Lake provides an excellent opportunity for anglers targeting Bluegill. Black Crappie trap net catch rate was 1.7 fish per net, which was low compared to similar lakes, but much of the catch was very large and healthy fish. Total length ranged from 9.9 to 12.4 inches with an average length of 11.4 inches. Average weight was 0.7 pounds, which was well above average compared to similar lakes. Only three year-classes were present, and ages ranged from 10 to 12 years. Due to the great size structure, Susan Lake provides an excellent opportunity for anglers targeting larger Black Crappie. Yellow Perch trap net catch rate was 10.0 fish per net, which was above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 6.3 to 12.9 inches with an average length of 10.3 inches. Average weight was 0.53 pounds, which was well above average compared to similar lakes. Only four year-classes were present, and ages ranged from 2 to 9 years. With a great size structure, Susan Lake provides an excellent opportunity for anglers targeting Yellow Perch. Other species sampled during this survey included Largemouth Bass and Pumpkinseed.

Susan is a 276 acre lake located approximately nine miles north of Cook, Minnesota. Susan Lake is shallow and has a maximum depth of less than 10 feet. The shoreline is a mixture of rock outcrops and bog. Several species of panfish were captured during the survey. A few Pumpkinseed were captured; Black Crappie and Bluegill were captured more frequently. Black Crappie abundance and size were within the expected range for this lake type. Length ranged from 7.5-11.1 inches with an average of 9.4. Growth was similar to the area average. Average weight for Black Crappie captured in the sample was 0.49 pounds. Bluegill abundance was within the expected range for this lake type. Abundance measured in 2015 was above the level in the previous investigation (2005). Length ranged from 7.0-9.2 inches with an average of 8.0. Average weight was above the expected range for this lake type. Northern Pike is probably not the best choice when deciding what to fish for on Susan Lake. Abundance was below the expected range and sizes were small. Length ranged from 14.2-19.7 inches and the average weight was only a pound. Walleye abundance was slightly above the bottom of the expected range. Fishing should continue to remain stable in the future. Eight year-classes were present, recruitment was consistent, and several solid year-classes were observed. Especially notable were the 2012 and 2013 year classes which represented 61 percent of the sample. Total length ranged from 9.0-20.1 inches and the average was 14.1. Yellow Perch is another choice for anglers visiting Susan Lake. Abundance was at the top end of the expected range and sizes were impressive. Total length ranged from 5.8-13.4 inches and average weight was 0.52 pounds, which was much greater than the top end (0.34 pounds) of the expected range for this lake type. Twelve year-classes were present which should provide stable fishing in future years.

Susan is a 300 acre, Class 16 lake, located 7 miles southeast of Orr, MN. Maximum depth is listed as 10.0 feet, however, a maximum of 7.0 feet was found during this investigation. The Susan Lake shoreline is a mixture of rock outcrops and low, either bog or black spruce dominated, vegetation types. Susan Lake is strongly bog-stained and secchi visibility was 4.0 feet on August 15, 2005 indicating poor water clarity. Previous investigations have indicated that Susan Lake has low fertility. The outlet flows into Elbow Lake and forms the headwaters of the Elbow River. There are seven islands on the lake, some of which are weakly connected to mainland by bog. A State owned carry-in access exists on the south shore. Parking is limited. All other access to the lake is private. Six fish species were caught during the 2005 fisheries assessment on Susan Lake. Yellow perch was the most common species in the catch followed by walleye.The abundance of walleye (4.17/net) in 2005 was less than that recorded during the previous assessment in 1996 (9.50/net), but was average when compared to other Minnesota lakes in the same class as Susan. Walleye sizes ranged from 8.3 to 21.9 inches during this investigation. The average length in 2005 of 14.1 inches (1.1 pounds) was less than the 16.1 inches (1.7 pounds) recorded in 1996. Three year old walleye (2002 year-class) were the most abundant in the 2005 catch and averaged 13.4 inches. Twenty-eight percent of the catch were over 17 inches in length. Walleye growth was average when compared to other lake in the International Falls Management Area (IFMA). Yellow perch abundance (23.0/net) in 2005 was high exceeding the abundance recorded in two of the previous three investigations on Susan Lake. Abundance in 2005 also fell within the fourth quartile for this lake class. Yellow perch size structure also was exceptional. Lengths of captured perch averaged 9.50 inches (0.51 pounds). The largest individual was 13.4 inches in length and weighed 1.16 pounds. Sixty-four percent of the perch captured were over nine inches in length. Yellow perch growth rates were some of the fastest recorded in the IFMA.Northern pike abundance (2.00/net) was below average for Susan Lake and other Class 16 lakes. As in past investigations, the pike catch consisted of small individuals. Lengths of captured northern pike ranged from 11.5 to 25.9 inches with an average of 17.8 inches. The average weight for captured northern pike (1.32 pounds) was below average for this lake class (1.86 pounds). Elbow Lake northern pike growth ranked in bottom 10% for the IFMA.Other species captured during the 2005 investigations included black crappie (0.70/net), bluegill (0.40/net) and pumpkinseed (1.30/net). Sizes of black crappie ranged from 10.0 to 11.7 inches and averaged 11.0 inches. Abundance in 2005 of black crappie was lower than all previous investigations of Susan Lake. Growth of Susan Lake black crappie was fast. This investigation was the first to report bluegill from Susan Lake. Their origin is unknown although Elbow Lake has bluegill present. Unlike the previous three investigations, no white sucker were captured in Susan Lake during the 2005 survey.

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

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

Susan has a maximum depth of 10 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Susan is from 2025.

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