Bloody Lake
Murray County, Minnesota274 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bloody Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- zebra mussel
- 9 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Bloody Lake in Murray County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 135 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 45.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 9 ft. Surface area: 274.14 acres.
Bloody Lake is a 274-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Murray County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 9 feet. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Murray County, Bloody Lake ranks #7 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bloody Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 3
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Bloody Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bloody 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 Bloody Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Bloody Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 0.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 135 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 45.3 µg/L. TSI 75.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 135µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 45.3µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 75 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Bloody Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bloody Lake typically sits around 75°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in Aug (about 74°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (74°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 10 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bloody Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
9 ft
Surface area
274 acres
Shoreline
5.6 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,483 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Bloody 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 Bloody Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bloody Lake in Murray 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Bloody Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Bloody 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 Bloody 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.
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 3
Earliest Mar 17, 2021 · Latest Apr 16, 2008
Typical ice-in
Dec 11
Earliest Nov 25, 2002 · Latest Dec 13, 2004
Most recent ice-out
Apr 12
2023
10 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Bloody 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: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN51-0040-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Murray County
Frequently asked questions about Bloody Lake
Where is Bloody Lake?
- Bloody Lake is a lake in Murray County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bloody Lake?
- Bloody Lake in Murray County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 135 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 45.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 9 ft. Surface area: 274.14 acres.
Is Bloody Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bloody Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Bloody Lake?
- Bloody Lake typically sits around 75°F at the surface in September, from 10 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bloody Lake?
- Bloody Lake has a maximum depth of 9 feet. The lake covers 274.14 acres.
What fish are in Bloody Lake?
- Fish species found in Bloody Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, quillback, walleye, white crappie, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Bloody Lake is located in Murray County, Minnesota.
When does Bloody Lake thaw?
- Bloody Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 3. Ice typically forms around Dec 11. The open water season is approximately 252 days.
Are there boat ramps on Bloody Lake?
- Bloody Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bloody Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bloody Lake?
- Bloody 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 Bloody Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Murray County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Hypereutrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA9 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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