Sauk Lake

Sauk Lake

The following information was largely obtained from the web page of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The majority of the lake is located within Todd County; however, the southerly portion of the lake, proximate to the City of Sauk Centre, is within Stearns County. This is a relatively large lake of 2,094 acres (gross), with a littoral area (at least 15 feet in depth) of 1,389 acres. The maximum water depth is 59 feet and the water is relatively murky, as indicated by water clarity of only three feet.

The lake is meandering and relatively narrow in width, resembling a wide river. Incidently, Sauk Lake is the starting point of the Sauk River, and there is a dam within the City of Sauk Centre, denoting the commencement point of the river.

Public access to the lake includes a state-owned access at the northeast end of the lake; a city-owned fishing pier within the City of Sauk Centre; informal access on the highway right-of-way to the southwest of the Highway 71 bridge (proximate the subject property); and a second, state-owned access point to the northeast of the Highway 71 bridge.

The lake has a reputation for being one of the best fishing lakes in the general area, and year-round fishing pressure is relatively heavy. The lake has a total of eight resorts, plus the afore-mentioned multiple points of public access. Fish species include Bullhead; Dogfish; Carp; Sunfish; Bass; Northern Pike; Tullibee; Walleye; Sucker; and Perch.

The vast majority of the subject property is influenced by the Shoreland Management Ordinance. Specifically, land area within 1,000 feet of Sauk Lake is subject to this ordinance. The following are specific requirements of the Shoreland Management Ordinance. For lake front lots with municipal utilities, the minimum lot size is 20,000 square feet and the minimum lake frontage is 75 feet. For non-lake front lots with municipal utilities, the minimum lot size is 15,000 square feet, with a minimum of 75 feet of street frontage.

For lake front lots without municipal utilities, the minimum lot size is 40,000 square feet, with a minimum of 150 feet of lake frontage. For non-lake front lots without municipal utilities, the minimum lot size is 45,000 square feet, with a minimum street frontage of 150 feet. Sauk Lake is classified as a recreational development lake and the building setback from the ordinary high water mark is 100 feet.