Bonnie Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota76 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bonnie Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 42 ft max depth
- Limited data
Bonnie Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 76.11 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on September 27, 2021 caught 0.50 northern pike per trap net at Bonnie Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 30–30 inches. DNR survey details →
Bonnie Lake is a 76-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 42 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including bluegill, hybrid sunfish, and largemouth bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bonnie Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17 ft of visibility
- Fishing7 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 10
- Deep water42 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bonnie 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 Bonnie Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Bonnie 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 17 ft down. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17ft | 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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Bonnie Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on September 27, 2021 caught 0.50 northern pike per trap net at Bonnie Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 30–30 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bonnie Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-09-27 (Targeted Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2021-09-27 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Bullhead | 22.08 | 7–11 in 2021-09-27 | 0.71 lb |
| Bluegill | 14.25 | 3–8 in 2021-09-27 | 0.16 lb |
| Northern Pike | 6.67 | 30 in 2021-09-27 | 4.21 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 4.13 | 2–7 in 2021-09-27 | 0.23 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 2.00 | 6 in 2021-09-27 | 0.1 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 2.00 | 13–15 in 1994-06-30 | 1.61 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.
Yellow Bullhead
Bluegill
Northern Pike
Hybrid Sunfish
From the 2021-09-27 survey
Bonnie is a 76 acre lake in the center of Crow Wing County with a maximum depth of 42 feet and no public access. Two single frame 3/8" trap nets were walked out from shore on September 27, 2021 and left overnight to get a sample of the species found in the lake. Seven species were captured, with Yellow Bullhead…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bonnie Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BonnieFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Bonnie (0442)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
42 ft
Surface area
76 acres
Shoreline
1.4 mi
Littoral zone
51%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,201 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bonnie Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bonnie 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 Bonnie Lake
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Follow Bonnie Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Bonnie Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.31 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.2 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 10
Earliest Apr 5, 2007 · Latest Apr 24, 2008
Typical ice-in
Nov 16
Earliest Nov 5, 2017 · Latest Dec 2, 2006
Most recent ice-out
Apr 7
2015
14 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Bonnie Lake
Where is Bonnie Lake?
- Bonnie 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 Bonnie Lake?
- Bonnie Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 76.11 acres.
Is Bonnie Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bonnie Lake?
- Bonnie Lake has a maximum depth of 42 feet. The lake covers 76.11 acres.
What fish are in Bonnie Lake?
- Fish species found in Bonnie Lake include bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Bonnie Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bonnie Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on September 27, 2021 caught 0.50 northern pike per trap net at Bonnie Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 30–30 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bonnie Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Bonnie Lake thaw?
- Bonnie Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 10. Ice typically forms around Nov 16. The open water season is approximately 220 days.
Can I fish at Bonnie Lake?
- Public access to Bonnie Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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.
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Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA16 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate