Q & A Regarding Walleye Stocking in Sugar Lake 2023
Q1. What is the current walleye stocking schedule for Sugar Lake? How many are stocked each time?
We (DNR) currently stock 357 lbs of walleye fingerlings or the equivalent (fingerlings, yearlings, and adults) annually. This equates to 1 lb of fingerlings/littoral acre (LA)/year, which is currently twice the rate that is recommended based on our statewide stocking study. Here is link to the last 10 years of stocking data Lake Stocking Report: Sugar (86023300) | LakeFinder | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us)) In a perfect world, we would like to stock fingerlings that are 15 – 20/lb, which would equate to anywhere from 5,355 – 7,140 annually. Unfortunately, due to factors out of our control, our walleye ponds don’t work that way and we routinely have carry-over (yearlings and adults) in our ponds. These fish are obviously larger, but you get fewer fish to stock. Survival is assumed to be better as well because they are larger size. We do use a correction factor if we are stocking larger fingerlings, or yearlings and adults so that we stock the equivalent as if we were stocking 15 – 20/lb fingerlings. So based on the last 10 years of stocking data we have stocked on average 4,132 walleye/year (3,449 fgls, 502 yrls, and 181 adults). Does this make sense?
Q2. Based on the walleye sampling, what would your recommendation be for additional walleye stocking?
Based on our lake survey catches, I wouldn’t recommend stocking anymore walleye. The walleye catch has ranged from 2.1 to 8.8/net with a long-term average of 4.1/net. This is within the range of what we would expect to see for the lake class (1.2 – 6.3/net). While we have seen a decrease in our catch rate over the last 3 surveys it is not out of the ordinary to see this as some stockings tend to take better than others. While I generally let Lake Associations stock walleye on top of our stocking, I usually steer them towards stocking in our off years, but making sure we are not exceeding that 1 lb/LA/year. If the Lake Association wants to stock walleyes, then we (DNR) would probably back off our stocking to every other year.
Q3. What would the cost of this additional stocking be?
Typically, the private sector has charged $20 - $25/lb for walleye fingerlings. However, I talked to another Lake Association about a month or so ago and they said that prices were up to $2.70/fish!!! This equates to somewhere between $40.50 - $54/lb depending on the size (15 – 20 fish/lb). So, you would be talking about $14,500 – $19,250 to stock 357 lbs of fingerlings!!!
Hope this helps and answers your questions.
Joe Stewig Area Fisheries Manager | FAW - Section of Fisheries Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 1035 South Benton Drive Sauk Rapids, MN, 56379 Phone: 320-223-7867 Fax: 320-255-3999 Email: joe.stewig@state.mn.us
We (DNR) currently stock 357 lbs of walleye fingerlings or the equivalent (fingerlings, yearlings, and adults) annually. This equates to 1 lb of fingerlings/littoral acre (LA)/year, which is currently twice the rate that is recommended based on our statewide stocking study. Here is link to the last 10 years of stocking data Lake Stocking Report: Sugar (86023300) | LakeFinder | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us)) In a perfect world, we would like to stock fingerlings that are 15 – 20/lb, which would equate to anywhere from 5,355 – 7,140 annually. Unfortunately, due to factors out of our control, our walleye ponds don’t work that way and we routinely have carry-over (yearlings and adults) in our ponds. These fish are obviously larger, but you get fewer fish to stock. Survival is assumed to be better as well because they are larger size. We do use a correction factor if we are stocking larger fingerlings, or yearlings and adults so that we stock the equivalent as if we were stocking 15 – 20/lb fingerlings. So based on the last 10 years of stocking data we have stocked on average 4,132 walleye/year (3,449 fgls, 502 yrls, and 181 adults). Does this make sense?
Q2. Based on the walleye sampling, what would your recommendation be for additional walleye stocking?
Based on our lake survey catches, I wouldn’t recommend stocking anymore walleye. The walleye catch has ranged from 2.1 to 8.8/net with a long-term average of 4.1/net. This is within the range of what we would expect to see for the lake class (1.2 – 6.3/net). While we have seen a decrease in our catch rate over the last 3 surveys it is not out of the ordinary to see this as some stockings tend to take better than others. While I generally let Lake Associations stock walleye on top of our stocking, I usually steer them towards stocking in our off years, but making sure we are not exceeding that 1 lb/LA/year. If the Lake Association wants to stock walleyes, then we (DNR) would probably back off our stocking to every other year.
Q3. What would the cost of this additional stocking be?
Typically, the private sector has charged $20 - $25/lb for walleye fingerlings. However, I talked to another Lake Association about a month or so ago and they said that prices were up to $2.70/fish!!! This equates to somewhere between $40.50 - $54/lb depending on the size (15 – 20 fish/lb). So, you would be talking about $14,500 – $19,250 to stock 357 lbs of fingerlings!!!
Hope this helps and answers your questions.
Joe Stewig Area Fisheries Manager | FAW - Section of Fisheries Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 1035 South Benton Drive Sauk Rapids, MN, 56379 Phone: 320-223-7867 Fax: 320-255-3999 Email: joe.stewig@state.mn.us
Sugar Lake Fish Population Summary 2023
Muskellunge Management on Sugar Lake
Sugar Lake is a highly developed, 1,015-acre recreational lake located five miles north of Maple Lake, MN in Wright County. In 1967 Sugar Lake was designated for muskellunge management. Sugar Lake was chosen as a muskellunge lake because of its large size and good water clarity. The fast growing Mississippi Strain of muskellunge fingerlings had been stocked annually from 1989 to 2004. Since then stocking has been reduced to ever other year.
In Minnesota, the management goal for muskellunge is to have a low-density (0.2 - 0.4 adults/acre) population of high quality (larger) individuals. Benchmarks for measuring these population goals are spring trap net surveys and population estimates. The first population estimate was conducted in 2007 and repeated in 2012 and now in 2016. April trap netting followed by night electrofishing produced an estimate of 0.15 adults (> 30")/acre. Based on our population estimate the adult muskie population is estimated to be somewhere between 95 and 250 adult fish. In 2012, the population was estimated to be between 105 and 513 adults fish.
When Minnesota raised the statewide minimum size limit of muskellunge to 40 inches in 1993, smaller fish were conserved and this helped increase the overall size structure of the muskellunge population. In 2015, the statewide minimum size limit was increased to 54 inches further increasing the overall size structure of the population. Based on size structure indices, the Sugar Lake muskie population continues to grow and the average size has increased for the fifth survey in a rowSize structure indices such as relative stock density (RSD) is the percentage of muskellunge sampled that are longer than 20 inches and are also longer than a specified length. For Sugar Lake we were interested in the percentage of fish longer than 38 inches (RSD38), 42 inches (RSD42), and 50 inches (RSD50), respectively. For example, in 2016, 91% of the muskellunge sampled that were longer than 20 inches were also longer than 38 inches. This year we recorded our largest fish to date at 52 1/2"!!! The first reported angler caught 50-inch fish was in 2005.
Sometimes muskellunge are the victims of controversy and Sugar Lake was no exception. So, we conducted creel surveys in 1984 and 1998. Over the years, one of the biggest changes was the number of anglers seeking muskellunge. Twenty-nine percent of angling parties sought muskellunge in 1998 vs only three percent in 1984. During the 1998 survey, lake residents were asked - "Do you support muskellunge management?" 68% indicated support (87 of 140 respondents).
Improvements are still needed in the overall fishery of Sugar Lake. A large population of small northern pike is still impacting the fishery. In 2007, the northern pike population was estimated to be 15,000 adults. To help manage the northern pike population, new regulations were placed on Sugar Lake in 2007. The current regulation is a 24 - 36 inch protected slot, with only one fish over 36 inches allowed in possession. It is hoped that the size structure of northern pike will improve, that anglers will enjoy quality northern pike angling, and that the entire fish community will be brought into balance.
Sugar Lake is a highly developed, 1,015-acre recreational lake located five miles north of Maple Lake, MN in Wright County. In 1967 Sugar Lake was designated for muskellunge management. Sugar Lake was chosen as a muskellunge lake because of its large size and good water clarity. The fast growing Mississippi Strain of muskellunge fingerlings had been stocked annually from 1989 to 2004. Since then stocking has been reduced to ever other year.
In Minnesota, the management goal for muskellunge is to have a low-density (0.2 - 0.4 adults/acre) population of high quality (larger) individuals. Benchmarks for measuring these population goals are spring trap net surveys and population estimates. The first population estimate was conducted in 2007 and repeated in 2012 and now in 2016. April trap netting followed by night electrofishing produced an estimate of 0.15 adults (> 30")/acre. Based on our population estimate the adult muskie population is estimated to be somewhere between 95 and 250 adult fish. In 2012, the population was estimated to be between 105 and 513 adults fish.
When Minnesota raised the statewide minimum size limit of muskellunge to 40 inches in 1993, smaller fish were conserved and this helped increase the overall size structure of the muskellunge population. In 2015, the statewide minimum size limit was increased to 54 inches further increasing the overall size structure of the population. Based on size structure indices, the Sugar Lake muskie population continues to grow and the average size has increased for the fifth survey in a rowSize structure indices such as relative stock density (RSD) is the percentage of muskellunge sampled that are longer than 20 inches and are also longer than a specified length. For Sugar Lake we were interested in the percentage of fish longer than 38 inches (RSD38), 42 inches (RSD42), and 50 inches (RSD50), respectively. For example, in 2016, 91% of the muskellunge sampled that were longer than 20 inches were also longer than 38 inches. This year we recorded our largest fish to date at 52 1/2"!!! The first reported angler caught 50-inch fish was in 2005.
Sometimes muskellunge are the victims of controversy and Sugar Lake was no exception. So, we conducted creel surveys in 1984 and 1998. Over the years, one of the biggest changes was the number of anglers seeking muskellunge. Twenty-nine percent of angling parties sought muskellunge in 1998 vs only three percent in 1984. During the 1998 survey, lake residents were asked - "Do you support muskellunge management?" 68% indicated support (87 of 140 respondents).
Improvements are still needed in the overall fishery of Sugar Lake. A large population of small northern pike is still impacting the fishery. In 2007, the northern pike population was estimated to be 15,000 adults. To help manage the northern pike population, new regulations were placed on Sugar Lake in 2007. The current regulation is a 24 - 36 inch protected slot, with only one fish over 36 inches allowed in possession. It is hoped that the size structure of northern pike will improve, that anglers will enjoy quality northern pike angling, and that the entire fish community will be brought into balance.