Lake information report

Name: Sauk (Big Sauk)

Nearest Town: Sauk Centre Primary County: Todd Survey Date: 08/20/2007 Inventory Number: 77015000

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Public Access Information

Lake Characteristics

Fish Sampled for the 2007 Survey Year

Length of Selected Species (Trapnet, Gillnet) Sampled for the 2007 Survey Year

Fish Stocking Activity

Fish Stocked by Species for the Last Ten Years

Fish Consumption Guidelines

These fish consumption guidelines help people make choices about which fish to eat and how often. Following the guidelines enables people to reduce their exposure to contaminants while still enjoying the many benefits from fish.

Pregnant Women, Women who may become pregnant and Children under age 15

General Population

DOWID - MN DNR, Divion of Waters' lake ID number.

Contaminants listed were measured at levels high enough to warrant a recommendation to limit consumption.

Listing of consumption guidelines do not imply the fish are legal to keep, MN DNR fishing regulations should be consulted.

Dioxin
Mercury
PCBS - Polychlorinated biphenyls
PFOS - Perfluorooctane sulfanate

Status of the Fishery (as of 08/20/2007)

Big Sauk Lake is a very popular fishing lake on the Todd/Stearns County border by the town of Sauk Centre. A dam on the Sauk River, which flows through the lake, controls the water level in the lake. The lake has a heavily developed shoreline and lies within a predominately agricultural watershed which, along with internal loading from carp and curled pondweed, negatively effects the lake's water quality. During the summer excessive algae blooms are common which greatly impairs the recreational value of the lake. Water clarity by the end of August was only 2.8 feet and few weeds were found past the 7 foot depth due to the poor light penetration. Mechanical weedharvesters are employed during the summer to manage the preceived overabundance of aquatic vegetation. The lake provides a popular year round fishery for bluegills and black crappies that draw anglers from long distances. A spring assessment on Big Sauk Lake found many bluegills in the 6.5 to 7.5 inch range and crappies between 7 and 8 inches in length. The summer survey produced a record number of crappies but most of them were under 8 inches. Angling reports indicated that fishermen were having no trouble catching crappies, in winter especially, though most of them are small. There were a few crappies measured in the assessments that were close to 11 inches in length and a few bluegills up to 8 inches. Northern pike appear to have decreased in abundance which should be good for the fish community in the lake. Average size of the pike seen in the summer assessment was about 2.4 pounds but anglers have a good opportunity to catch fish in the 5 to 10 pound range. High northern pike numbers can be deterimental to walleye and yellow perch populations due to predation. Both the walleye and yellow perch catches were down from the last survey despite odd-year stocking of various size walleyes. The average size of the walleye observed in the summer survey was about 19 inches while in the spring assessment the average size of the 4 fish caught was about 27 inches. Fishing pressure for walleye is highest in the winter and late spring before the algae blooms get bad. While not many bass were captured during the summer netting, bass tournaments are held annually on the lake and some trophy size fish are usually documented. Most anglers report low catches of bass which may be due to the dense vegetation beds and low water clarity. Big Sauk Lake is one of the few lakes in the Little Falls area that is still open to fall tullibee netting but few reports are heard about the harvest. Only one tullibee was caught in the 2007 summer survey which was a record low catch. An occasional summer kill is reported when water temperatures climb and the cool water, oxygen rich zone needed by tullibee shrinks. The lake has always supported an abundant yellow perch population and while the recent catch was the lowest recorded for the lake, it remained within the normal range when compared to similar type lakes. It is hoped that the lower northern pike and walleye numbers will allow the perch population to rebound. Not only are perch an important prey species for the northerns and walleye, they also help to maintain a healthy bluegill population. Carp numbers also showed a decline from the last survey which may help with water clarity. Some of the undesirable outcomes from high carp numbers can be destruction of rooted vegetation, increased water turbidity, and internal nutrient loading from the fish disturbing the lake bottom and fish excrement. One sport that has increased in popularity has been bow hunting for carp. Other species netted in the summer survey included black bullheads, brown bullheads, shorthead redhorse, white suckers, and yellow bullheads. Most of the bullheads that were measured from all three species were over 11 inches in length with some individuals measuring up to 15 inches.?

For more information on this lake, contact: Area Fisheries Supervisor 16543 Haven Rd Little Falls, MN 56345 Phone: (320) 616-2450 Internet: Little Falls Fisheries E-Mail: LittleFalls.Fisheries@state.mn.us	Lake maps can be obtained from: Minnesota Bookstore 660 Olive Street St. Paul, MN 55155 (651) 297-3000 or (800) 657-3757 To order, use B0280 for the map-id.
For general DNR Information, contact: DNR Information Center 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4040 TDD: (651) 296-6157 or (888) MINNDNR Internet: www.dnr.state.mn.us E-Mail: info.dnr@state.mn.us	Turn in Poachers (TIP):     Toll-free: (800) 652-9093