Bass Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota311 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bass Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 36 ft max depth
- Public access
Bass Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 36 ft. Surface area: 310.92 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 7, 2021 caught 0.12 walleye per trap net at Bass Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 23–23 inches. DNR survey details →
Bass Lake is a 311-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 36 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including black bullhead, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available. Compared to the 65 other monitored lakes in Otter Tail County, Bass Lake ranks #55 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bass Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing7 species recorded
- Deep water36 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.5 ft. Phosphorus 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 12.9 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 40µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 12.9µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Bass Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bass Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 77°F) and coldest in Sep (about 65°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (65°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 18 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
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 (248,886 cells/mL) on November 8, 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 June 7, 2021 caught 0.12 walleye per trap net at Bass Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 23–23 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 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-06-07 (Targeted Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2021-06-07 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 135.23 | 10–14 in 2021-06-07 | 0.78 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 45.42 | 4–15 in 2021-06-07 | 0.96 lb |
| Bluegill | 37.93 | 3–10 in 2021-06-07 | 0.25 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 19.70 | 3 in 2008-06-09 | 0.11 lb |
| Northern Pike | 13.54 | 27 in 2021-06-07 | 2.93 lb |
| Walleye | 11.23 | 23 in 2021-06-07 | 2.59 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
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
From the 2021-06-07 survey
Bass lake is a 292-acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County. The town of Underwood, MN abuts the southeast shoreline of the lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 36 feet; however, 47% of the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bass Lake. 3 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
- —Fish Stocking History — BassFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BassPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
36 ft
Surface area
311 acres
Shoreline
5.6 mi
Littoral zone
44%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
28 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,319 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays 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 Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.65 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.63 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Bass Lake
Where is Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake is a lake in Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 36 ft. Surface area: 310.92 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 65°F at the surface in September, from 18 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake has a maximum depth of 36 feet. The lake covers 310.92 acres.
What fish are in Bass Lake?
- Fish species found in Bass Lake include black bullhead, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow bullhead. Bass Lake is located in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bass Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 7, 2021 caught 0.12 walleye per trap net at Bass Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 23–23 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 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
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 (248,886 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
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.
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Where this data comes from
58 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA58 samples · 2021–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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