How deep is Basswood Lake?

Basswood Lake has a maximum depth of 111 feet. The lake covers 25952.96 acres.

When does Basswood Lake thaw?

Basswood Lake typically has ice-out around May 5.

Basswood Lake

Not yet rated

9 ft clear · Mesotrophic · 25,953 acres

Limited DataMesotrophic

Basswood Lake in Lake County, Minnesota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 111 ft. Surface area: 25952.96 acres.

Clarity: 9 ft
Max depth: 111 ft
Area: 25,953 acres
Trend: ↓ Declining
Public access: No
Ice-out: May 5

Where to stay →Safe to swim?

Next lake in Lake County

NRIndiana Lake15.3 ft clear · Lake CountyView →

Prev Where to stay near Basswood Lake →Next

Loading map…

Why Basswood Lake has no grade

We grade a lake only when its monitoring record clears the evidence bar: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Basswood Lake, the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity. Sampling here has recorded water clarity, but not phosphorus and algae (chlorophyll-a).

Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.

Sampling is run by MPCA and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.

Basswood Lake is a 25,953-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 111 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 14 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and lake whitefish. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-07-10. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Watch Basswood Lake water quality

Subscribe for LakeQuality updates by email. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Swimming Safety

Not rated

Limited data

Not rated for swimming — there is not enough monitoring data to judge this lake

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Ely →

Get alerts for Basswood Lake →

Water quality measurements for Basswood Lake

These readings exist but do not meet the evidence bar for an A–F grade — see why.

Moderate clarity, visible to about 9 ft. Trophic State Index: 45.

Metric	Value	Grade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)	9 ft	Not graded
Phosphorus	No recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)	No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)	45	Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Where to stay near Basswood Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Basswood Lake in Lake 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 Basswood Lake

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 →

Lake Details

Characteristic	Value
Maximum Depth	111 ft
Surface Area	25,953 acres
Shoreline Length	332.6 mi
Littoral Zone	27%
Public Access	No

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

2,719 sq mi

Elevation

1,293 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Fish Species

black crappie bluegill lake whitefish largemouth bass northern pike northern sunfish pumpkinseed rock bass shorthead redhorse smallmouth bass tullibee (cisco)walleye white sucker yellow perch

Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.

Fishing Basswood 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

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-07 (Targeted Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

Species	Avg CPUE	Avg Weight
Walleye	9.84	1.62 lb
Bluegill	4.06	0.34 lb
Yellow Perch	3.94	0.2 lb
Tullibee (Cisco)	3.54	0.89 lb
Northern Pike	3.33	2.79 lb
CIS	3.25	0.52 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

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.

Walleye

314 fish · 3–29 in · 2022-08-01

Bluegill

232 fish · 1–9 in · 2022-08-01

Yellow Perch

268 fish · 4–10 in · 2022-08-01

Tullibee (Cisco)

80 fish · 5–17 in · 2022-08-01

From the 2025-08-07 survey

Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Basswood Lake on August 7th, 2025. This was done to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Whitefish, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Basswood Lake. 1 report on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

—
Fisheries Lake Survey — Basswood
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder

Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining

Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

Metric	Trend	Change/Year	Years
Water Clarity	↓ Declining	-0.385 m/yr	3

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (6 observations).

Typical Ice-Out

May 5

	Earliest	Latest
Ice-Out	1998-04-14 (1998)	2014-05-14 (2014)

Most recent ice-out: 2014-05-14

EPA Impairment Status

Basswood Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN38-0645-00 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Lake County

NRIndiana Lake15.3 ft clearView →NRGood Lake10 ft clearView →NRWind Lake9 ft clearView →NRWashte Lake12 ft clearView →NRTofte Lake18.5 ft clearView →NRTriangle Lake12.3 ft clearView →

Frequently asked questions about Basswood Lake

What is the water quality grade for Basswood Lake?: Basswood Lake in Lake County, Minnesota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 111 ft. Surface area: 25952.96 acres.
Is Basswood Lake safe to swim in?: Not rated for swimming — there is not enough monitoring data to judge this lake. Basswood Lake is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.
How deep is Basswood Lake?: Basswood Lake has a maximum depth of 111 feet. The lake covers 25952.96 acres.
What fish are in Basswood Lake?: Fish species found in Basswood Lake include black crappie, bluegill, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Basswood Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.
When does Basswood Lake thaw?: Basswood Lake typically has ice-out around May 5.

Explore Basswood Lake across LakeGrade

Wakesurfing on Basswood Lake

Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules

Minnesota Fishing Guide

Fish species and top-graded lakes across Minnesota

Lake County Fishing

Fish species and best lakes in Lake County

Lake Fishing Forecast

Species activity outlook by water temperature and season

Minnesota Lake Trips

Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its grade

Lake Superior Basin (MN+WI)

Lakes in the Lake Superior Basin (MN+WI), ranked by water quality

The State of Minnesota's Lakes

Minnesota's cleanest and most-polluted lakes, ranked

More Minnesota Lake Rankings

Cleanest lakes in Minnesota

Top 25 by overall water quality score

Clearest lakes in Minnesota

Top 25 by Secchi water clarity

Best swimming lakes in Minnesota

Grade A/B + low algae filter

Family fishing lakes in Minnesota

Panfish-rich, public access

All Minnesota lakes

Full state directory

Other Lakes in Minnesota

Mudro Lake

St. Louis County · Not rated

Boot Lake

St. Louis County · 5.5 ft

Wagosh Lake

St. Louis County · 8 ft

Birch Lake

Unknown County · 15 ft

Fairy Lake

St. Louis County · 7 ft

Low Lake

St. Louis County · 8.7 ft

Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Wagosh Lake Fairy Lake Low Lake Gun Lake

Where this data comes from

231 measurements from 83 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA231 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

Field measurement/observation, generic method

Monitoring station identifiers (83)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.