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Sand Lake, is located North
of Deer River and is halfway
between Cutfoot Sioux to the West and Jessie Lake to the East. Sand
Lake provides visitors with everything you could hope for in a
northern Minnesota fishing trip. There are protected bays, wind swept
flats and everything in between. It’s about 3700 acres and offers some
especially nice scenery during the fall when colors are fantastic.
Sand Lake's two distinctly different sections accommodate a variety
of fishing styles. There are also a variety of smaller connecting
waters that are great fun for the explorer.
Sand Lake has a large main section that is primarily shallow water with lots
of weed beds, shoreline points and a smattering of mid lake humps. On
the North end of this section, you'll find the entrance to Little Sand
Lake and on the East side you'll find your way in to Birds Eye Lake.
The
southeast section known as “The Boot” is a deeper section with the
main structure being the steeper shoreline drop off. This section of
Sand Lake also offers some nice points and a few mid lake rock piles
not to mention one of the most breathtaking views of fall color during
late September and early October.
Walleye: Early season water temperatures
can be slow to rise on Sand Lake and it’s not uncommon to find fish
using the deeper structures at first, moving toward shore as the water
warms. A typical opening day fishing trip should include some time
spent on the steeper drops in 20 to 30 feet of water and some time on
the shallower drop in 8 to 12 feet of water. Walleyes work the shallow
drop off areas where minnows run as soon as temperatures reach the mid
50 degree range and will continue to use these shallow edges well into
the summer. Weed edges, Clam beds and rocks are all good locations. |
Jig & minnow
combinations are good, but Northern Pike are super-abundant and
aggressive. Pike spot the flashy presentations faster than Walleye and
you can literally “fish through” the Walleye with realizing that they
are in the area.
More subdued,
natural looking jig color, darker minnows like Rainbows and Dace and
fishing your jig with a light pumping or slow swimming action will
give Walleye more time to respond to your offering. Another great
pattern for early season Walleye on Sand Lake is a slip bobber rigged
with a small jig and a lively leech. Fish the inner edges of the weed
flats, seeking out areas of cabbage weeds.
As the water warms in early summer, some
Walleyes always stay in these weed beds, but large numbers of fish
will move to the deeper edges of shoreline bars and points. These fish
can be caught on any of the common Walleye fishing presentations like
live bait rigs with medium length snells of 4-6 feet in length and
tipped with leeches or crawlers will produce good catches of Walleye.
Crappies are present in a number of areas and are of good quality.
Early season Crappies use the weed beds near deep water and remain in
these areas for most of the summer. During late summer and fall
Crappies will use the deep drop off edges and areas where remnants of
“Crappie Cribs” placed during the 1980s continue to hold fish. There
are several deeper rock bars located throughout the lake and Crappies
will frequently use the deep edges of these bars as well.
Bluegills of excellent size can be found along the edges of weeds in
10 to 14 feet and occasionally shallower. A good approach is to move
slowly along the weedline and cast small jigs tipped with plastic
tails until you make contact. Then switch to a vertical fishing
approach using a 1/16-ounce jig tipped with a small worm or cut piece
of night crawler.
Perch are excellent size and can be active at times. In recent years,
heavier pressure on Perch has reduced numbers but anglers can still
find some pockets of quality Perch fishing. Most often, Perch are
located on hard bottom areas associated with the large weed beds. At
times, main lake bars and points will hold schools of fish as well. |
Favorite Sand Lake Resorts
Sand Lake is
loaded with Northern Pike, generally small in size and highly active
especially during cool water periods.
This is an example of a lake where families should go
out of their way to harvest some of these tasty, albeit small fish. As
hard as it may be at the time, larger size pike should be returned to
help control the huge population of smaller Pike.
Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass are present in adequate numbers to
provide opportunities for anglers who like to explore the shallows and
back bays. If you wake up in the mood for a leisurely tour, fish the
wild rice edges in the Bowstring River channel that connects to
Bowstring Lake. Largemouth, Bluegills and Pike can be found in several
areas in the river. Wildlife viewing can be excellent here as well.
Sand Lake is the quintessential fishermen’s lake. The relative absence
of sand beaches discourages pleasure boating, jet skis and the like.
Even though the lake is developed, you’ll feel like you’ve gone into
the wilderness on an old fashioned fishing trip.
Back to Favorite Fishing Lakes Section. |
