Becker

Becker Lake is a 176-acre lake located near the city of Richmond in south-central Stearns County. A public access is located on the Sauk River just east of the lake. Becker Lake formed when a dam was built in Cold Spring in the early 1900's and is now considered a part of the Sauk River Chain of Lakes (SRCL). Most of the lake is shallow and has a maximum depth of 20 feet. Becker Lake has historically been susceptible to winterkill events. To help reduce winterkill events, an aeration system was installed in 1989 but later removed in 2010 due to difficulties maintaining equipment. Due to the location of Becker Lake in relation to the rest of the other lakes on the SRCL, water quality is often better with a more diverse aquatic plant community. Zebra mussels were found within the SRCL in 2018, and Eurasian watermilfoil was found downstream Horseshoe in 2021. Anglers are encouraged to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) by cleaning, draining, and drying all equipment used in infested waters. A targeted survey was conducted in 2024 using boat electrofishing and gillnets to update data on popular game species last collected in 2021. Largemouth Bass were surveyed during the daytime using boat electrofishing on May 20, 2024. Bass catches continue to be low at 11/hr and were well below the Sauk Rapids management objective of 50/hr. Only 10 bass were sampled during the electrofishing event and ranged in size from and 4.0 to 17.0 inches. However, anglers should have good opportunities to catch quality-sized Largemouth Bass as 55% were longer than 12.0 inches and 46% were longer than 15.0 inches. Gillnet catches were moderate to low across all species collected during the survey. The Northern Pike catch increased from 8.0/net (2021) to 12.0/net and was above the expected range of values for lakes similar to Becker Lake. Northern Pike lengths ranged from 15.0 to 34.0 inches, with an average length and weight of 21.0 inches and 2.0 pounds. Nine percent of the Northern Pike sampled were longer than 26.0 inches and 5% were longer than 30.0 inches. Anglers are encouraged to harvest small pike (less than 22.0 inches) to help increase the size structure of the population. Walleye abundance in 2024 (2.0/net) was much lower than 2021 (10.0/net) but was within the range of expected values for the lake. Only four Walleye were sampled during the survey and ranged in length from 15.5 to 18.0 inches with an average length and weight of 16.0 inches and 1.4 pounds. Walleye stocking within the SRCL was discontinued after 2017 because natural reproduction was documented within the system by area staff. Channel Catfish have historically been abundant within the SRCL, but catches in Becker Lake have never been overly high. Channel catfish abundance appears to have peaked in 2018 and has been decreasing over the past two surveys. The catch in 2024 (2.5/net) was the lowest on record since 2003. Channel Catfish lengths ranged from 22.0 to 28.0 inches, with an average length and weight of 24.4 inches and 4.8 pounds. Other species sampled in low numbers included: Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Redhorse spp., Shorthead Redhorse, White Sucker, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch.

Becker Lake is a 176-acre lake located near Richmond in Stearns County. It is part of the Sauk River Chain of Lakes (SRCL), formed by a dam in Cold Spring. Most of the lake is shallow and it has a maximum depth of 20 feet. The lake has a history of winterkill, and an aeration (bubbler type) system was installed in 1989 and effectively eliminated winterkill; however, the system was removed in 2010. The watershed is large and primary land uses are agriculture and pasture. The lake is not directly connected to the Sauk River and has better water quality and a more diverse aquatic plant community than most lakes within the chain. A public access is located on the Sauk River just east of Becker Lake. A targeted survey using only gill nets was conducted in 2021 to update fisheries data last collected in 2018. Anglers can expect good fishing for Northern Pike, Catfish, Walleye, and panfish. Northern Pike numbers have greatly decreased since 2018, but are still plentiful. The pike sampled ranged in lengths from 16 to 31 inches with an average length and weight of 21 inches and 2 pounds. Of the 16 fish sampled, only one was longer than 26 inches. Anglers are encouraged to harvest small pike (26 inches) to help increase the size structure of the population. Walleye numbers in 2021 were significantly higher than 2018 and were the highest on record for Becker Lake. Walleye numbers were also high compared to other lakes within the Sauk River Chain as well. Walleyes are not stocked in Becker Lake but can easily swim in from nearby Horseshoe Lake and the Sauk River. Walleye sampled ranged in length from 13 to 24 inches with an average length and weight of 16 inches and 1.5 pounds. Black Crappie are not abundant in Becker Lake and historical catches have been low as well. Only one Black Crappie was caught in 2021. No Bluegill were caught in the gill nets in 2021, but trap net data from 2018 showed an abundant Bluegill population with an average length of 6 inches with a few fish up to 8 inches. Yellow Perch catches have been low the past four surveys and none were caught in 2021. High numbers of Northern Pike and Walleye have likely reduced Yellow Perch abundance over time. Channel Catfish are abundant in Becker Lake as well as in the rest of the chain of lakes; however, the average size is exceptional. Channel catfish lengths ranged from 20 to 29 inches with an average length and weight of 24 inches and 5 pounds. Other species sampled included: Black Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Pumpkinseed, and White Sucker. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Fish harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of aquatic invasive species (AIS) can all adversely affect fish populations. In 2018, zebra mussels were identified in the Sauk River Chain of Lakes and in 2021 Eurasian water milfoil was identified in Horseshoe Lake. AIS can be moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local DNR office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Sauk Rapids Area Fisheries office.

Becker Lake is a 176 acre lake located near Richmond in Stearns County. It is part of the Sauk River Chain of Lakes, formed by a dam in Cold Spring. Becker Lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet and had a Secchi reading of 4.5 feet in mid-August. The watershed is large and the primary land uses are agriculture and pasture. A public access is located on the Sauk River just east of Becker Lake. Emergent vegetation is common in the lake, predominantly waterlilies. Submergent vegetation is also abundant, but has not been surveyed recently. The lake has a history of winterkills and was last surveyed in 2013. Anglers can expect good fishing for Northern Pike and panfish. Northern Pike numbers have greatly increased since 2013 and were far above the expected range of values for lakes similar to Becker. Lengths ranged from 11.0 to 30.7 inches with an average length and weight of 19.6 inches and 1.8 pounds. Only four percent of Northern Pike were longer than 26 inches. Bass electrofishing was not conducted due to rapidly increasing spring water temperatures. Only one Largemouth Bass was caught during summer netting. Largemouth Bass numbers in 2013 were below average. Walleye numbers were low compared to other lakes in the Sauk River Chain, but within the expected range of values for similar lakes and near the long term average for the lake. Walleye are not stocked in Becker Lake but can easily immigrate from nearby Horseshoe Lake and the Sauk River. Lengths ranged from 19.8 to 21.3 inches with an average length and weight of 20.2 inches and 2.8 pounds. The Bluegill catch was much higher than 2013 and above the expected range of values for similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 3.2 to 8.2 inches with an average length of 5.6 inches. Only three percent of Bluegill were longer than eight inches. Black Crappie numbers were low and below the expected range of values. Historical catches have also been low. Lengths ranged from 7.4 to 10.8 inches with an average length of 9.1 inches. Few Yellow Perch were captured in 2018, and catches in 2013 and 2003 were also low. However, historical catches have been much higher. High Northern Pike numbers have likely reduced Yellow Perch abundance. The Channel Catfish catch was higher than 2013 and reflects an abundant population in the rest of the chain of lakes. Catfish were large; lengths ranged from 3.5 to 25.6 inches with an average length and weight of 21.2 inches and 3.9 pounds. Other species captured in the survey included: Bowfin, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

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

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

Becker has a maximum depth of 20 feet and a mean depth of 2.2 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Becker is from 2024.

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