Lower Sakatah Lake

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Introduction
Lower Sakatah Lake is a 310 acre lake located in Rice County east of the town of Waterville. Lower Sakatah is accessible by the access on Upper Sakatah Lake, which is inside Sakatah Lake State Park. Lower Sakatah can also be accessed by the bridge on Leroy Avenue, which connects Lower and Upper Sakatah Lakes. Being a part of the Cannon River chain of lakes, Lower Sakatah flows east toward Cannon Lake. Lower Sakatah is a shallow lake with a maximum depth of only 7 feet. The deepest water in the lake can be found toward the west end, as the water gets shallower toward the outlet on the east end of the lake. Lower Sakatah Lake is managed primarily for walleye and is stocked with walleye fry three out of every four years at a target rate of 1,500 fry per littoral acre. A contingency stocking plan calls for northern pike fingerlings, yellow perch adults, black crappie adults, and bluegill adults to be stocked after winterkill events. Lower Sakatah Lake was surveyed the week of July 28, 2014 as part of a regular monitoring program conducted by Minnesota DNR. This survey was intended to assess the fish community by deploying gill nets and trap nets, as well as recording water quality parameters.

Walleye
Between 1986 and 2004, walleye abundance in Lower Sakatah Lake averaged 8.6 fish/gill net. In 2009 and 2014, however, catch rates dropped to 0.7 and 1.0 fish/gill net, respectively. Although catch rates were low in 2014, the size structure of walleye was good. The length of walleye averaged 17.6 inches and the largest individual sampled with 24.8 inches. The growth rate of walleye was moderate compared to other similar lakes in the area. Walleye fry were recently stocked into Lower Sakatah Lake in 2012, 2013, and 2014 at a target rate of 1,500 fry per littoral acre. Since walleye fry are stocked three out of every four years, walleye will not be stocked again until 2016.

Northern Pike
The northern pike population in Lower Sakatah Lake has remained relatively stable in recent years. The 2014 northern pike catch rate was 3.3 fish/gill net, which closely resembles the long-term lake average of 3.0 fish/gill net. Northern pike collected in the 2014 survey ranged in length from 17.5 to 28.1 inches and averaged 23.0 inches, indicating relatively small size structure. Northern pike in southern Minnesota grow very fast. The average length of northern pike in Lower Sakatah Lake was 21.0 inches at age-2, 24.0 inches at age-3, and 25.2 inches at age-4. A contingency stocking plan is in place for northern pike after winterkill events. Although northern pike have not been stocked into Lower Sakatah Lake in recent years, northern pike are regularly stocked throughout the Cannon River chain of lakes.

Yellow Perch
Lower Sakatah Lake has historically produced good numbers of yellow perch. The 2014 catch rate of yellow perch was 14.0 fish/gill net, which is slightly below the long-term lake average of 16.2 fish/gill net. The lengths of yellow perch ranged from 5.3 to 9.7 inches and averaged 6.6 inches, indicating that the size structure of yellow perch in Lower Sakatah Lake is relatively small. Young yellow perch are an important food source for walleye and other predators in the Cannon River chain of lakes. However, some anglers have success catching yellow perch from the shores of Lower Sakatah Lake as well.

Bullhead Species
Like most lakes in the Cannon River chain, Lower Sakatah has populations of black and yellow bullheads. With a catch rate of 7.2 fish/gill net, black bullhead were in relatively low abundance in the 2014 survey. However, the size of black bullhead was large, with lengths ranging from 8.9 to 14.1 inches and averaging 12.2 inches. Yellow bullheads were sampled at a rate of 3.3 fish/gill net. Yellow bullheads were also large, with lengths ranging from 9.4 to 13.2 inches and averaging 11.4 inches. The Waterville area was once well-known for its bullhead fishing. Lower Sakatah Lake and other shallow, highly productive lakes in southern Minnesota still offer quality bullhead fishing opportunities today.

Other Species
Black crappie are present in Lower Sakatah in low abundance. The 2014 gill net catch rate was 1.5 fish/net, which is below the long-term average of 3.6 fish/net. The lengths of black crappie ranged from 5.4 to 11.9 inches and averaged 7.8 inches. Bluegill are also present in low abundance, with a total of 7 fish collected in both gear types in 2014. With a total of 142 collected in the survey, freshwater drum was the most abundant fish species in 2014. Other fish species collected from Lower Sakatah Lake in 2014 included white bass (N = 11), bowfin (N = 33), common carp (N = 48), channel catfish (N = 4), largemouth bass (N = 1), bigmouth buffalo (N = 2), and golden shiner (N = 1).

Anglers can play an important role in maintaining or improving a fish population by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest allows for the harvest of smaller fish for consumption, while encouraging the release of medium to large fish that may contribute to natural recruitment. This practice helps maintain balance in the fish community and provides anglers the opportunity to catch more and larger fish in the future. Additionally, smaller fish often taste better and have fewer contaminants than larger, older fish from the same water body.

Shoreline property owners also play an important role in the overall health of an aquatic ecosystem, including the fish population. Natural shorelines, including vegetation, woody debris, and bottom substrates, provide valuable habitat for fish and wildlife, help maintain water quality, and reduce bank erosion. By leaving natural shorelines unaltered or restoring them to natural conditions, shoreline property owners are doing their part to maintain or improve a healthy ecosystem in the lake and protect the resource for future generations.

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