Bay Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota2,330 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bay Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 74 ft max depth
- Public access
Bay Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 74 ft. Surface area: 2329.89 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 14, 2021 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Bay Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Bay Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 70 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Bay Lake is a 2,330-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 74 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 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Bay Lake ranks #27 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Bay Lake covers about 2,300 acres in Crow Wing County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 18, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Bay Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Bay Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water18.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 18
- Deep water74 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water2,330 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow 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. Bay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bay 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 Bay Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Bay Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 18.5 ft down. Phosphorus 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.6 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 18.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 11µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.6µg/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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Bay Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bay Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 61°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 62°F) and coldest in May (about 52°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (52°F) to its warmest (62°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 269 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bay Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 14, 2021 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Bay Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bay Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-06-14 (Standard Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2021-06-14 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 31.39 | ||
| Bluegill | 26.29 | 2–8 in 2021-06-14 | 0.15 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 12.36 | 5–17 in 2021-06-14 | 0.99 lb |
| Northern Pike | 7.77 | 10–35 in 2021-06-14 | 1.43 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.
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Northern Pike
From the 2021-06-14 survey
Bay Lake is a popular 2,392 acre lake located five miles south of Deerwood in Crow Wing County. Development is heavy on its 24.3 miles of shoreline. Maximum depth is 74 feet, with 42% of the lake 15 feet deep or less. The lone public access located on the west shore of the northwest bay can get very crowded at times.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bay Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BayFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Bay (0010)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — BayFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BayPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
74 ft
Surface area
2,330 acres
Shoreline
24.1 mi
Littoral zone
43%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
19 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,247 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Bay 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 Bay Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bay Lake in Crow Wing 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 Bay 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 →
Follow Bay Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Bay 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.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.07 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.08 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 18
Earliest Mar 13, 2024 · Latest May 11, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 27
Earliest Nov 8, 2019 · Latest Dec 21, 2001
Most recent ice-out
Apr 10
2025
26 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Bay 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 MN18-0034-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Bay Lake
Where is Bay Lake?
- Bay Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bay Lake?
- Bay Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 74 ft. Surface area: 2329.89 acres.
Is Bay Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bay 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 Bay Lake?
- Bay Lake typically sits around 52°F at the surface in October, from 269 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bay Lake?
- Bay Lake has a maximum depth of 74 feet. The lake covers 2329.89 acres.
What fish are in Bay Lake?
- Fish species found in Bay Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Bay Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bay Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 14, 2021 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Bay Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bay Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Bay Lake thaw?
- Bay Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 18. Ice typically forms around Nov 27. The open water season is approximately 223 days.
Are there boat ramps on Bay Lake?
- Bay Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bay Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bay Lake?
- Bay 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 Bay Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Crow Wing County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Pine River Watersheds (Brainerd Lakes), ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Compare Bay Lake With Nearby Lakes
Where this data comes from
656 measurements from 5 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 Water
MNPCA656 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (5)
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