Bass Lake
Mahnomen County, Minnesota735 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bass Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 26 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Bass Lake in Mahnomen County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 26 ft. Surface area: 734.97 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 8, 2022 caught 4.28 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Bass Lake. DNR survey details →
Bass Lake is a 735-acre mesotrophic lake in Mahnomen County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 26 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 11 other monitored lakes in Mahnomen County, Bass Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bass Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.1 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 27
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 13.1 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.9 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.1ft | 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) | 4.9µg/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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Bass Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Bass Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (159,956 cells/mL) on November 22, 2025.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 8, 2022 caught 4.28 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing 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 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-08-08 (Targeted Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2022-08-08 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 16.48 | 3–9 in 2022-08-08 | 0.13 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 16.08 | 5–15 in 2022-08-08 | 0.66 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 8.27 | 3 in 2005-08-01 | 0.14 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 6.10 | 3–8 in 2022-08-08 | 0.31 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.38 | 13–32 in 2022-08-08 | 1.83 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 3.66 |
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
Yellow Bullhead
Green Sunfish
Hybrid Sunfish
From the 2022-08-08 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Big Bass Lake was conducted on August 8, 2022 by Detroit Lakes Area Fisheries Staff. Data collected during this nearshore survey were combined with trap net and gill net data to calculate a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score for the lake. The FIBI Tool-4 was used for scoring and…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bass Lake. 4 reports 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
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Bass (0110)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — BassFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BassPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
26 ft
Surface area
735 acres
Shoreline
10.7 mi
Littoral zone
40%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
10 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,575 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Broken Arrow ResortSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bass Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bass Lake in Mahnomen 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
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 27
Earliest Apr 15, 2015 · Latest May 9, 2008
Typical ice-in
Nov 18
Earliest Oct 27, 2015 · Latest Dec 7, 2017
Most recent ice-out
Apr 28
2020
9 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Mahnomen County
Frequently asked questions about Bass Lake
Where is Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake is a lake in Mahnomen 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 Mahnomen County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 26 ft. Surface area: 734.97 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 26 feet. The lake covers 734.97 acres.
What fish are in Bass Lake?
- Fish species found in Bass Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Bass Lake is located in Mahnomen County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bass Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 8, 2022 caught 4.28 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing 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 3 years of monitoring is declining. 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 27. Ice typically forms around Nov 18. The open water season is approximately 205 days.
Does Bass Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Bass Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (159,956 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Broken Arrow Resort. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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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Where this data comes from
42 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (White Earth Band) (Tribal)
WEARTH_WQX31 samples · 2023 - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA11 samples · 2020–2021
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate