Sand

Sand Lake is a 96 acre lake located about 10 miles south of Hibbing, MN. Typical of lakes in lake class #11, Sand is small, shallow and has soft water. The lake has a maximum depth of 38 feet and a littoral area of 53 acres. The water is relatively clear with a slight bog stain. A Secchi disc reading of 14 feet was recorded in this assessment. Sand has no public access. The northern pike gill net catch rate was 3.3/set, above the lake class median. Six year classes were represented in the catch. Size structure was good with a PSD of 76 and an RSD-P (28 inches) of 19. The northern pike sampled varied in length from 16.2 to 32.7 inches and had a mean length of 23.7 inches. Growth was better than the statewide averages by up to 115%. Yellow perch, typically low in this lake class, were sampled at 7.3/gill net, above the median of 5.7/set. The fish sampled were small, ranging in length from 5.4 to 7.3 inches. They had a mean length of 6.2 inches. The bluegill trap net catch rate was 14.4/set, near the 3rd quartile. Size structure was poor with a PSD of 43 and RSD-P of 0. The bluegill sampled ranged in length from 3.4 to 7.3 inches and had a mean length of 5.5 inches. Growth was slow especially in older bluegill (<85% of the statewide averages). The black crappie trap net catch rate was 5.6/set in this assessment compared to the lake class inter-quartile range of 1.8-9.7/set. The crappie ranged in length from 5.3 to 9.4 and had a mean length of 7.1 inches. Three and four year olds made up 91% of the catch. They were sampled in the gill net above the median, at 3.0/set. Similar size structure was observed in the gill net. As with bluegills, growth was slower (within 15%) than the statewide averages. No largemouth bass was sampled in this assessment. Spring electrofishing has been shown to more effectively sample bass than conventional test netting, however this was not done during this assessment. Other species sampled in this assessment were pumpkinseed sunfish, white sucker and yellow bullhead.

All fish populations are within normal limits for this type of lake.

Results of the test netting show that numbers of largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, bluegill, rock bass, and perch are below the calculated regional medians of a bass-panfish lake type. However, the nets caught brown bullhead, black crappie, white sucker, and walleye in numbers that were higher than their respective regional net catch medians.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Rock Bass, and Bluegill 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 38 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Sand is from 2005. 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.