Bass Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota121 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bass Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- zebra mussel
- 47 ft max depth
Bass Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 121 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 2010 caught 6.00 northern pike per gill net at Bass Lake. DNR survey details →
Bass Lake is a 121-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 47 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 14 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Bass Lake ranks #17 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bass Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16.1 ft of visibility
- Fishing14 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 20
- Deep water47 ft surveyed max depth
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.
Crystal clear, you can see 16.1 ft down. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.7 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.7µg/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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Bass Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bass Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 60°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (60°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 41 field readings (2021–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bass Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 2010 caught 6.00 northern pike per gill net at Bass Lake.
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 improving. 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: 2010-06-21 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2010-06-21 (Standard Survey)
16 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 19.57 | ||
| Bluegill | 17.59 | 3–7 in 2010-06-21 | 0.12 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 7.00 | 13–16 in 1994-07-07 | 0.95 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
Tullibee (Cisco)
From the 2010-06-21 survey
Bass Lake is a 116 acre lake located about 5 miles east of Jenkins. The lake is part of a chain of lakes characterized as having hard water, low fertility, and very good water clarity. The maximum depth is approximately 47 feet and about 58% of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Northern pike, the lakes primary game…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bass Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BassFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
47 ft
Surface area
121 acres
Shoreline
3.3 mi
Littoral zone
55%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,207 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bass Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bass Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay 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: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.04 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.19 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 20
Earliest Apr 14, 2025 · Latest Apr 29, 2008
Most recent ice-out
Apr 14
2025
5 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: 16.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 47 ft. Surface area: 121 acres.
Is Bass 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 Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October, from 41 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2021–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake has a maximum depth of 47 feet. The lake covers 121 acres.
What fish are in Bass Lake?
- Fish species found in Bass Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), greater redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, 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 Standard Survey on June 21, 2010 caught 6.00 northern pike per gill net at Bass Lake. 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 improving. 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 20.
Can I fish at Bass Lake?
- Public access to Bass 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
113 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA113 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 (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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate