Bassett Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota403 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bassett Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 21 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Bassett Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 402.59 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 21, 2025 caught 0.10 northern pike per fyke net at Bassett Lake. DNR survey details →
Bassett Lake is a 403-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 21 feet (13-foot average). The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Bassett Lake covers about 400 acres in St. Louis County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is May 1, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Bassett Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Bassett Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around May 1
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bassett Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bassett 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 Bassett Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Bassett 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 ft. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No 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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Bassett Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bassett Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 72°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 (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 33 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bassett Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 21, 2025 caught 0.10 northern pike per fyke net at Bassett Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bassett 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
15 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-21 (Targeted Survey).
15 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-21 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Shiner | 27.54 | 6 in 2006-07-24 | 0.08 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 18.06 | 5–10 in 2022-07-25 | 0.17 lb |
| Bluegill | 12.20 | 3–8 in 2022-07-25 | 0.27 lb |
| Walleye | 10.46 | 9–11 in 2023-10-04 | 1.9 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 7.83 | 6–17 in 2022-07-25 | 0.87 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.
Golden Shiner
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Walleye
From the 2025-08-21 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Bassett Lake was conducted on August 21st-August 22nd, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, and seining with a 50-foot…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bassett Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BassettFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Bassett (0984)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — BassettFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BassettPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
21 ft
Average depth
12.9 ft
Surface area
403 acres
Shoreline
5.4 mi
Littoral zone
49%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,568 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Bassett LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bassett Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bassett 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 Bassett Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Bassett Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
May 1
Earliest Apr 15, 2005 · Latest May 9, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 17
Earliest Nov 3, 2003 · Latest Dec 7, 2004
Most recent ice-out
Apr 23
2025
20 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Bassett Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN69-0041-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Bassett Lake
Where is Bassett Lake?
- Bassett 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 Bassett Lake?
- Bassett Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 402.59 acres.
Is Bassett Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bassett Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Bassett Lake?
- Bassett Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in September, from 33 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bassett Lake?
- Bassett Lake has a maximum depth of 21 feet and an average depth of 12.9 feet. The lake covers 402.59 acres.
What fish are in Bassett Lake?
- Fish species found in Bassett Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Bassett Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bassett Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 21, 2025 caught 0.10 northern pike per fyke net at Bassett Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bassett 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.
When does Bassett Lake thaw?
- Bassett Lake typically has ice-out around May 1. Ice typically forms around Nov 17. The open water season is approximately 200 days.
Are there boat ramps on Bassett Lake?
- Bassett Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bassett Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bassett Lake?
- Bassett 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 Bassett Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
39 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
MNPCA39 samples · 2020–2025
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
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