Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake

How big is Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake?

How deep is Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake?

What are the closest cities to Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake?

Are there boat launches on Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake?

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What are the fishing regulations for Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake?

There are specific fishing regulations Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake that you need to know. For complete fishing regulations visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To report a violation call (800) 652-9093. Need a Minnesota fishing license?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake?

Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake is a 619 acre lake located 15 miles northwest of Deer River, Minnesota. The lake is connected to Cut Foot Sioux and is part of the larger Winnibigoshish system in the upper end of the Mississippi River drainage. Much of the lake is shallow and vegetated, as the maximum depth is 20 feet. Little Cut Foot Sioux is the site of an annual Walleye spawn take, where staff from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources collect eggs to hatch for stocking in Little Cut Foot Sioux, Cut Foot Sioux, Winnibigoshish, and other upper Mississippi drainage lakes. A standard fish survey is completed here approximately every ten years.

Little Cut Foot Sioux has been identified as a lake with a high-quality Bluegill population and is currently protected with a 5 fish bag limit. During the 2023 survey, Bluegill in trap nets averaged over 7 inches in length and the largest Bluegill sampled during the survey was just over 10 inches. Black Crappie are another popular panfish species, and the abundance of these was within the expected range for this type of lake. Crappies averaged 8 to 9 inches and the largest were approaching 13 inches.

Northern Pike are abundant in Little Cut Foot Sioux, as is typical with shallow lakes in north-central Minnesota. The maximum size potential is typically small with high density populations, and this is generally the case for this lake. During the 2023 survey the average Northern Pike length was 20 inches. The majority of the population was less than 4 years old, but a few fish that reached older ages were approaching 33 inches.

While there is a large spawning run of Walleye into Little Cut Foot Sioux in the spring, the abundance of Walleye in the lake is fairly low outside of that period of time. Abundance of Walleye in survey nets was below the expected range for the lake. Walleye fry from the spawn take operation are stocked back into the lake each year. The Walleye sampled in 2023 ranged from 11 to 22 inches and were 2 to 7 years old.

Yellow Perch abundance was down from the historic average for the lake, but still well within the expected range for the lake. Perch are a major prey item for predators such as Northern Pike and Walleye, but they do reach sizes that are of interest to anglers here. The average length during this survey was just under 7 inches, and the maximum size was over 10 inches.

Tullibee (Cisco) have been present in high abundance in Little Cut Foot Sioux in the past. Cisco populations in the Winnibigoshish system, as well as many other lakes in Minnesota, have been trending downward the past few decades. This was the first survey where sampling nets failed to catch any Cisco in the lake. Cisco are an important prey item for predators such as Northern Pike, Walleye, and Muskellunge. The lack of Cisco will put more pressure on other prey species, such as Yellow Perch.

Largemouth Bass are another gamefish species present in Little Cut Foot Sioux. The nets traditionally used in standard surveys are not effective for sampling Largemouth Bass, so none were caught during this survey. Other species sampled in this survey include Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Bowfin, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

What is the average air temp for Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake?

Are there any state parks near Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake?