Bachelor Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota54 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bachelor Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 47 ft max depth
- Limited data
Bachelor Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 53.56 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 2001 caught 7.00 northern pike per gill net at Bachelor Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 13–35 inches. DNR survey details →
Bachelor Lake is a 54-acre lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 47 feet (12-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bachelor Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14 ft of visibility
- Fishing11 species recorded
- Deep water47 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bachelor Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Bachelor Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Bachelor Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Bachelor Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bachelor Lake typically sits around 76°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in May (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 12 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bachelor Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 2001 caught 7.00 northern pike per gill net at Bachelor Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 13–35 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bachelor Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2001-07-18 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2001-07-18 (Standard Survey)
25 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 9.97 | 2–16 in 2001-07-18 | 0.91 lb |
| Bluegill | 9.15 | 1–8 in 2001-07-18 | 0.13 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 6.33 | 2–7 in 2001-07-18 | 0.11 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.64 | 3–8 in 2001-07-18 | 0.21 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.88 | 13–35 in 2001-07-18 | 2.17 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 3.50 | 0.53 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
Pumpkinseed
From the 2001-07-18 survey
Bachelor Lake is a moderately fertile 53 acre lake located in Aitkin County just southwest of the city of Aitkin. The shoreline surrounding the lake has minimal development with most of the shoreline made up of marshland, undeveloped forest or woodland, and grassland. The lake is characterized by a larger, deep basin…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bachelor Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BachelorFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Bachelor (0127)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
47 ft
Average depth
12 ft
Surface area
54 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Littoral zone
56%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,220 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bachelor Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Bachelor Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Bachelor Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Nearby Lakes in Aitkin County
Frequently asked questions about Bachelor Lake
Where is Bachelor Lake?
- Bachelor Lake is a lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bachelor Lake?
- Bachelor Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 53.56 acres.
Is Bachelor Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Bachelor Lake?
- Bachelor Lake typically sits around 76°F at the surface in August, from 12 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bachelor Lake?
- Bachelor Lake has a maximum depth of 47 feet and an average depth of 12 feet. The lake covers 53.56 acres.
What fish are in Bachelor Lake?
- Fish species found in Bachelor Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Bachelor Lake is located in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bachelor Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 2001 caught 7.00 northern pike per gill net at Bachelor Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 13–35 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bachelor Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Bachelor Lake?
- Public access to Bachelor Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
76 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA76 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder