Barry Lake
Big Stone County, Minnesota398 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Barry Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 9 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Barry Lake in Big Stone County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 348 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 149 µg/L. Maximum depth: 8.8 ft. Surface area: 398.07 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 17, 2003 caught 0.25 walleye per gill net at Barry Lake. DNR survey details →
Barry Lake is a 398-acre lake in Big Stone County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 9 feet (7-foot average). The lake supports 6 documented fish species including black bullhead, common carp, and orangespotted sunfish. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-09-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Barry Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing6 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Barry 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 Barry Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Barry Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 0.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 348 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 149 µg/L. TSI 83.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 348µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 149µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 83 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Barry Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 17, 2003 caught 0.25 walleye per gill net at Barry Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Barry Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2003-07-17 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 2003-07-17 (Standard Survey)
23 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathead Minnow | 4960.00 | ||
| Black Bullhead | 196.11 | 3–13 in 2003-07-17 | 0.12 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.
Black Bullhead
From the 2003-07-17 survey
This was an initial investigaton of Barry Lake, a 393 acre lake located entirely within a USFWS Waterfowl Production Area in northwest Big Stone County. Above average precipitation over the last 10 years has increaced the water level of Barry Lake approximately 4 feet according to flooded timber located on west and…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Barry Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BarryFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BarryPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
8.8 ft
Average depth
6.5 ft
Surface area
398 acres
Shoreline
5.6 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,086 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Barry Lake
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Fish Species
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Fishing Barry Lake
Nearby Lakes in Big Stone County
Frequently asked questions about Barry Lake
Where is Barry Lake?
- Barry Lake is a lake in Big Stone County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Barry Lake?
- Barry Lake in Big Stone County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 348 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 149 µg/L. Maximum depth: 8.8 ft. Surface area: 398.07 acres.
Is Barry Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Barry Lake?
- Barry Lake has a maximum depth of 8.8 feet and an average depth of 6.5 feet. The lake covers 398.07 acres.
What fish are in Barry Lake?
- Fish species found in Barry Lake include black bullhead, common carp, orangespotted sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Barry Lake is located in Big Stone County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Barry Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 17, 2003 caught 0.25 walleye per gill net at Barry Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Barry Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Barry Lake?
- Public access to Barry Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.
Explore Barry Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA4 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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