Minnesota · Stearns County
Sagatagan Lake Fishing guide
Sagatagan Lake covers 227 acres in Stearns County, Minnesota, reaching 42 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 2 times, most recently in 2000, with largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and crappie in the nets. That survey is 26 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed Sagatagan Lake in 2000. Ratings need a survey from the last 20 years, so this page lists the species from that older record without numbers.
- Largemouth bass
- Northern pike
- Bluegill
- Crappie
- Yellow perch
How to fish Sagatagan Lake through the year
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. On a lake that drops to 42 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. On a lake that drops to 42 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Wacky-Rigged Stickworm
5" stickworm
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Bluegill · Live bait
Clip-On Bobber + Worm
half to whole garden nightcrawler
Bluegill · Soft plastics
Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic
1–1.5" micro plastic
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2000 survey
Sagatagan Lake is located in Stearns County, three miles west of St. Joseph, and entirely within the campus of St. John's University. The lake is 159 acres in size, has a mean depth of 8.9 feet and a maximum depth of 42 feet. There is no public access. It is a typical bass-panfish lake with high numbers of bass, bluegill and northern pike and low numbers of yellow perch and black crappie. No species are currently stocked. The lake has good water clarity and a diverse plant community, probably due to its small, undeveloped watershed and largely unaltered shoreline. Northern pike are abundant and there has been little change from 1984 to 2000 in the catch rate or average size (1.6 pounds, 20 inches in 2000). Growth is slow and few pike larger than 24 inches were caught; the largest individual was 28 inches. The number of largemouth bass caught during spring electrofishing was below average, but the average size was high. Half of all bass captured were larger than 12 inches and the largest was 20.7 inches. Few yellow perch were captured in the 2000 survey and all were small. Low perch numbers may be caused by abundant small pike and may also be limiting pike growth. Bluegill abundance has not changed substantially since the 1984 survey and is still within the expected range for this lake type. The average size of bluegill was normal (5.2 inches) and the largest caught was 7.7 inches. Black crappie catch rate and average size were typical for this type of lake. However, crappies captured during the summer survey were mostly medium-sized fish (8 inches) and none were larger than 9 inches. Hybrid sunfish and pumpkinseed sunfish were also caught during the survey in low numbers, but some were over 8 inches in length. Yellow bullhead catch rates increased from 1984 to 2000 while their average weight remained normal (0.5 pounds). Yellow bullhead are common in lakes with good water quality and are not a cause for concern. A few brown bullheads were also captured. Anglers can help improve fishing in Sagatagan Lake by selectively harvesting smaller pike (less than 22 inches) and releasing larger pike and bass. Reducing the number of small pike may allow perch numbers to increase, providing better forage for pike and increasing their growth. Releasing larger bass may help keep average bass size high and help keep the number of small bluegill in check. If the watershed and shoreline remain largely undeveloped, it seems likely that the lake and the fish community will remain stable.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Sagatagan Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Sagatagan Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
DNR bathymetry
Sagatagan Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Island Lake · 116 ac · 1.2 mi
- Kraemer Lake · 195 ac · 1.8 mi
- Achman Lake · 47 ac · 2.4 mi
- Big Watab Lake · 246 ac · 3.2 mi
- Little Watab Lake · 57 ac · 3.2 mi
- Linneman Lake · 110 ac · 3.3 mi
- Kalla Lake · 106 ac · 4.2 mi
- Big Spunk Lake · 415 ac · 4.2 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Sagatagan Lake?
Sagatagan Lake reaches 42 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 8.9 ft; about 50% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Sagatagan Lake?
Sagatagan Lake covers 227 acres with about 6 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Sagatagan Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2000) record largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Sagatagan Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Sagatagan Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
When was Sagatagan Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Sagatagan Lake in 2000, the most recent of 2 surveys on record. That is more than 20 years ago, so this page lists species without ratings.
Page updated .
Featured guide spot
Your guide service here
One featured guide per lake, with your photo, your writeup and a link straight to your booking page. Free through December 31, 2026.
Then $20 a month from January. Cancel any time.
The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Sagatagan Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:
Open Sagatagan Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report