Bass Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota732 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bass Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 27 ft max depth
- Public access
Bass Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 732.2 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 27, 2022 caught 26.67 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Bass Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–19 inches. DNR survey details →
Bass Lake is a 732-acre mesotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 27 feet. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 14 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Bass Lake ranks #16 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bass Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13 ft of visibility
- Fishing14 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 16
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bass 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 Bass Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Bass 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 13 ft. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.9 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 19µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.9µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Bass Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 27, 2022 caught 26.67 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Bass Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–19 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bass Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
11 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-07-27 (Targeted Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2022-07-27 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 26.14 | 3–9 in 2022-06-06 | 0.19 lb |
| Northern Pike | 20.77 | 9–38 in 2022-06-06 | 2.29 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 15.83 | 7–19 in 2022-06-06 | 1.14 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.
Bluegill
Northern Pike
Largemouth Bass
From the 2022-07-27 survey
Lower Mission Lake is a 732 acre lake, with a maximum depth of 27', located just east of the town of Ossipee, MN. Lower Mission is in the Mississippi River-Brainerd Watershed. A nearshore survey was conducted to assess the populations of both game and non-game fish species. Fourteen 100' long sampling stations were…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bass Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Lower MissionFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Lower MissionPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
27 ft
Surface area
732 acres
Shoreline
6.3 mi
Littoral zone
62%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Bass Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Bass Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.91 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+2.9 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 16
Earliest Mar 21, 2012 · Latest May 10, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 20
Earliest Nov 4, 1991 · Latest Dec 25, 2017
Most recent ice-out
Apr 9
2020
129 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Bass Lake
Where is Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 732.2 acres.
Is Bass Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake has a maximum depth of 27 feet. The lake covers 732.2 acres.
What fish are in Bass Lake?
- Fish species found in Bass Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Bass Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bass Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 27, 2022 caught 26.67 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Bass Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–19 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bass Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Bass Lake thaw?
- Bass Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 16. Ice typically forms around Nov 20. The open water season is approximately 218 days.
Can I fish at Bass Lake?
- Public access to Bass 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 Bass Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Crow Wing County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
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Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Where this data comes from
144 measurements from 3 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
MNPCA144 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate