West Sturgeon

West Sturgeon is a small, infertile lake located about 15 miles northwest of Chisholm, Minnesota. There is no public access on the lake but access can be attained from other lakes in the chain. Small, infertile lakes like West Sturgeon often do not have the ability to produce high quality fisheries and are vulnerable to angling overharvest. The 2003 lake management plan (LMP) indicates Black Crappie and Northern Pike are the primary species of management with Bluegill as a secondary species. Historical netting data was used to formulate the LMP goals for the lake. A standard survey was conducted in June of 2016 to assess the status of the fish community. Black Crappie numbers have never been high relative to similar lakes. The trap-net catch of 1.6 fish/net approached the LMP goal of 2.0/net. The sampled fish ranged from 6.2 to 10.8 inches and averaged 9.0 inches. Fish from three to six years old were sampled. Growth was slow with Black Crappie averaging 8.6 inches after five years. The Black Crappie population may provide decent fishing at times following periods of good natural reproduction. The 2016 Northern Pike catch was the lowest on record and fell short of the LMP goal. The sampled fish ranged from 19.9 to 26.5 inches and averaged 22.1 inches. The sampled fish were four to six years old. Northern Pike averaged 20.1 inches after four years, which is similar to the statewide average. The pike population appears to be low and likely cannot withstand much angler harvest. Bluegill catches increased from 1984 to 2002, but declined in 2016. The catch was within the normal range for similar lakes but failed to meet the LMP goal. The sampled fish ranged from 3.3 to 8.9 inches and averaged 4.9 inches. The oldest Bluegill was estimated to be 10 years old based on scale evaluations. Fish averaged 4.7 inches after five years, which is slow. More than likely the small average size and slow growing Bluegill in West Sturgeon will not attract much attention from anglers. Walleye catches have always been low in West Sturgeon despite various stocking within the chain. Only one Walleye was sampled by gill nets in each of the last two surveys while the most ever sampled was three fish. Low lake productivity in conjunction with an inadequate prey base will limit Walleye numbers. The Yellow Perch catch was the lowest on record in 2016. The sampled Yellow Perch ranged from 5.8 to 7.0 inches and averaged 6.3 inches. Yellow Perch are not likely providing much fishing opportunities or food for predators due to their poor size structure and low numbers. Other species sampled during the survey included Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse, Tullibee and White Sucker. In order to maintain or improve fish and wildlife populations, water quality and habitat must be protected. People often associate water quality problems with large-scale agricultural, forestry, urban development or industrial practices in the watershed. In reality, the impact of land use decisions on one lake lot may be relatively small, yet the cumulative impact of those decisions on many lake lots can result in a significant decline in water quality and habitat. For example, removing shoreline and aquatic vegetation, fertilizing lawns, mowing to the water's edge, installing beach sand blankets, failing septic systems and uncontrolled run-off, all contribute excess nutrients and sediment which degrade water quality and habitat. Understanding these cumulative impacts and taking steps to avoid or minimize them will help to insure our quality fisheries can be enjoyed by future generations.

West Sturgeon Lake is a class 10 lake located 11 miles northwest of Chisholm. There is no public access on the lake but it can be accessed from Sturgeon Lake. The lake management plan indicates that bluegill and northern pike are the primary species for management while black crappie and walleye are secondary species. In 2002, black crappie sampled in trap nets had the highest catch rate on record (2.3 fish/net). Despite the higher than normal catch in this assessment, it was still below the lake class median. The black crappie ranged from 4.3 to 10.2 inches with a mean length of 5.4 inches. Scale analysis indicated that three to six year old fish were present, with three year old fish representing 88% of the sample. Mean back-calculated lengths-at-age were lower (<85%) than statewide averages for ages 1 to 3 and lower than statewide averages for ages 4 to 6 (but not <85% of the mean).Bluegill trap-net catch rates have gradually increased in the last four assessments from 9.8 fish/net in 1984 to 24.7 fish/net in 2002. The trap-net catch has generally been within the lake class median and 3rd quartile. The sampled fish ranged from 3.0 to 8.4 inches with a mean length of 4.1 inches. Scale analysis indicated that fish from age 2 to 12 were present with three and four year old fish representing 63% of the sample. Mean back-calculated lengths-at-age were lower than those reported for class 10 lakes for all ages.The northern pike gill-net catch rate was 2.8 fish/net in 2002, which equaled the lake class median for class 10 lakes. Size structure was fair with fish ranging from 17.4 to 26.8 inches and had a mean length of 21.1 inches. Age and growth structures were not collected in 2002.Only one walleye was sampled in the gill nets in 2002; however, there have never been more than three sampled in any assessment. Walleye numbers have been nearly the same whether the lake was stocked directly or not. Natural reproduction and migration from the rest of the chain of lakes (which do receive stocking) has maintained the population. Yellow perch numbers have always been low which is common for class 10 lakes. The gill-net catch was 1.7 fish/net in 2002. The sampled fish ranged from 5.6 to 7.3 inches and had a mean length of 6.0 inches. Yellow perch have never been aged for this lake.Tullibee catch rates have been fairly stable ranging from a low of 1.3/gill net in 1990 to a high of 5.8/gill net in 1984 and 1995. The tullibee gill-net catch was 2.8 fish/net in 2002, which falls within the 1st quartile and lake class median of 1.3 and 4.4 fish/net. Other species sampled in 2002 included golden shiner, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, silver redhorse, and white sucker. In order to maintain or improve fish and wildlife populations, water quality and habitat must be protected. People often associate water quality problems with large-scale agricultural, forestry, urban development or industrial practices in the watershed. In reality, the impact of land use decisions on one lake lot may be relatively small, yet, the cumulative impact of those decisions on many lake lots can result in a significant decline in water quality and habitat. For example, removing shoreline and aquatic vegetation, fertilizing lawns, mowing to the waters edge, installing beach sand blankets, failing septic systems and uncontrolled run-off, all contribute excess nutrients and sediment which degrade water quality and habitat. Understanding these cumulative impacts and taking steps to avoid or minimize them will help to insure our quality fisheries can be enjoyed by future generations.

West Sturgeon Lake is considered a bass-panfish lake but it and other lakes in the "chain" have been stocked many times in the past with walleye to provide a modest walleye fishery. Although West Sturgeeon has been stocked five times in the last ten years with walleye fry, only a few walleyes were sampled in this assessment. These walleye ranged in length from 14.8-26.6 inches. The northern pike catch in this assessment was the highest ever recorded and was comparable to the lake class median. These fish ranged in length from 15.2-31.5 inches and had a mean weight of 2.4 pounds. Yellow perch numbers have also increased in the past assessments. The catch was above the expected range but the average size was small. The mean length of those sampled was 6.0 inches. Bluegill and black crappies were also sampled in this assessment. Bluegill were sampled at the highest levels ever recorded and black crappies at their lowest. The average length of the bluegill was 5.9 inches whereas black crappies were 7.3 inches.

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

West Sturgeon has a maximum depth of 31 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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