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LakeQuality

Bass Lake

St. Louis County, MinnesotaView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bass Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
4.2 ft
Typical for Minnesota
Secchi · sampled 2024
Trend
Worsening
5 years of samples
  • spiny waterflea
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Bass Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.2 ft visibility.

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Bass Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 6 public boat landings.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-08-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Bass Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch6 documented ramps

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

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.

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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.

Murky, only visible to about 4.2 ft. TSI 56.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)4.2ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo reading

The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential.

Chlorophyll-a (algae)No reading

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.56Eutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Ask about Bass Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

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).

Recreation & Access

6
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Birch PointPublic
  • Moccasin PointPublic
  • Black Duck BayPublic
  • Frazer BayPublic
  • Gruben's MarinaSemi-private
  • Birch Point MarineSemi-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 St. Louis 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

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Bass Lake → · more Minnesota lake trips

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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.

spiny waterflea

Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).

  • Water clarity

    Worsening

    5 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County

Frequently asked questions about Bass Lake

Where is Bass Lake?

Bass Lake is a lake in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.2 ft visibility.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Bass Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

Are there boat ramps on Bass Lake?

Bass Lake has 6 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Birch Point, Moccasin Point, Black Duck Bay, Frazer Bay, among others. Public access is listed as yes.

Access on this page ↑

Can I fish at Bass Lake?

Bass Lake has 6 documented boat landings 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.

Access on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

24 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA24 samples · 2020–2024

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
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

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory