Minnesota · St. Louis County

Sand Point Lake Fishing guide

Sand Point Lake is a 8,527-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota, reaching 184 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 7.9 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 42 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 184 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface8,527 ac

Max depth184 ft

Clarity7.9 ft

Littoral33%

Surveyed2025

How to fish Sand Point Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
Early summer: Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
Summer: Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. On a lake that drops to 184 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

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 184 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.

Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Walleye	Largemouth bass	Smallmouth bass
2025	26"	10"	14"
2024	25"	—	17"
2023	26"	—	15"
2022	26"	—	14"
2020	26"	—	17"
2019	24"	18"	19"
2018	26"	14"	17"
2017	26"	13"	16"

Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.

Suggested tackle

What to bring

Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:

Walleye · Live bait

Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler

jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler

8–35 ftslow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run

15–45 fttrolling

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Largemouth bass · Hardbaits

Topwater Popper

2.5–3" concave-face popper

0–8 ftdead slow

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Largemouth bass · Hardbaits

Hollow-Body Frog

3–3.5" hollow-body frog

0–6 ftslow

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Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics

Ned Rig

2.75" finesse stickbait or craw-style Ned bait

5–25 ftdead slowweedless

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Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics

Drop Shot (Finesse Plastic)

4" finesse worm or 3" minnow-profile plastic

8–40 ftdead slowweedless

Shop finesse plastics →

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 2025 survey

Sand Point Lake is located within Voyageurs National Park, approximately 5 miles north of Crane Lake, Minnesota on the International border between Minnesota and Ontario. Sand Point is a Class 2, mesotrophic lake with a total surface area of 8,526 acres, of which 4,848 acres (57%) are in Minnesota. Its waters are soft, and aquatic vegetation is sparse, except in the shallow bays. Sand Point Lake has a maximum depth of 184 feet, although almost one third (32%) of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. The mean summer transparency (Secchi) is 7.2 feet. Sand Point Lake is usually stratified from late May to late October of each year. Shoal water substrates are dominated by boulder, ledge rock, rubble, sand, and muck. Sand Point is part of the Namakan Reservoir, which also consists of Crane, Kabetogama, Little Vermilion, and Namakan lakes. Sand Point Lake has been sampled annually with fall gill nets since 1983.

Current fishing regulations on Sand Point Lake follow the border waters (Canada-Minnesota) regulations. For Walleye and Sauger, the limit is six (not more than four can be Walleye), Walleye from 18"-26" must be immediately released, and only one Walleye over 26" is allowed in the possession limit.

Read the full DNR narrative

Walleye gill net catch rate was 11.1 fish per net, which was well above the long-term Mean for Sand Point Lake. Total length ranged from 7.4 to 26.1 inches and the average length was 13.1 inches. A total of 14 year-classes were present and ages ranged from 1 to 15 years. Overall, there are good numbers of Walleye in Sand Point Lake, with the chance to catch large Walleye. Sand Point Lake offers a good Walleye fishing opportunity.

Northern Pike gill net catch rate was 3.9 fish per net, which was well above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 15.2 to 42.1 inches and the average length was 23.8 inches. A total of ten year-classes were present, and ages ranged from 1 to 10 years. Overall, there are good numbers of Northern Pike in Sand Point Lake and abundances have been increasing in the last 25 years.

Sauger gill net catch rate was 1.2 fish per net, which was below average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 9.0 to 12.3 inches and the average length was 10.6 inches. A total of six year-classes were present, and ages ranged from 3 to 8 years. The 2020 year-class is providing good numbers of Sauger, and preliminary data suggest a strong 2022 year-class. Although Sauger in Sand Point Lake do not reach larger overall sizes, they do provide an additional harvest opportunity for anglers.

Yellow Perch gill net catch rate was 0.9 fish per net, which was below average for Sand Point Lake. Total length ranged from 5.3 to 9.6 inches and the average length was 6.7 inches. A total of five year-classes were present in the sample and ages ranged from 2 to 7 years. Yellow Perch offer an additional fishing opportunity and forage for Walleye and Northern Pike.

Smallmouth Bass gill net catch rate was 1.2 fish per net, which was above average compared to similar lakes and is the highest catch ever recorded in Sand Point Lake. Total length ranged from 11.0 to 14.2 inches and the average length was 13.1 inches. Two year-classes were present, ages 4 and 5.

Black Crappie are present in Sand Point Lake but are typically sampled in low numbers. The gill net catch rate was 0.9 fish per net, which was above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 4.3 to 11.5 inches and the average length was 7.3 inches. Black Crappie offer an additional fishing opportunity in Sand Point Lake.

Cisco and Lake Whitefish were also sampled in 2025

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Sand Point Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Sand Point 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.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

All Sand Point Lake fishing reports → · St. Louis County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Public access: Access gained via boating from connected waters (e.g. Kabetogama and Crane Lakes).

DNR bathymetry

Sand Point Lake depth map

Sand Point Lake depth contour map, St. Louis County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 184 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Little Trout Lake · 272 ac · 1.5 mi
Mukooda Lake · 774 ac · 2.7 mi
O'Leary Lake · 202 ac · 3.1 mi
Johnson Lake · 1,737 ac · 5.3 mi
Spring Lake · 219 ac · 5.8 mi
Crane Lake · 2,921 ac · 6.1 mi
Tooth Lake · 59 ac · 6.5 mi
Little Vermilion Lake · 1,288 ac · 7.3 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Sand Point Lake?

Sand Point Lake reaches 184 ft at its deepest point; about 33% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Sand Point Lake?

Sand Point Lake covers 8,527 acres with about 148 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Sand Point Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Sand Point Lake average 7.9 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Sand Point Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, lake sturgeon, rock bass, sauger.

Is Sand Point Lake stocked?

No stocking is on record for Sand Point Lake in the DNR's stocking database.

Does Sand Point Lake have a public access?

Yes. Sand Point Lake has one public access site: Public access (Access gained via boating from connected waters (e.g. Kabetogama and Crane Lakes).).

How big do walleye get in Sand Point Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 26"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2017.

When was Sand Point Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Sand Point Lake in 2025, the most recent of 42 surveys on record.

Page updated October 28, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Sand Point Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Sand Point Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report