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LakeQuality

Bonnie Lake

Lake County, Minnesota105 acresView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bonnie Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
8.2 ft
Typical for Minnesota
Secchi · sampled 2025
Max depth
11 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
105 acres
Surface area
Trend
Worsening
6 years of samples
Shoreline
2.5 mi
Measured length
  • 11 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Bonnie Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 11 ft. Surface area: 104.9 acres.

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 9, 1972 caught 5.60 northern pike per gill net at Bonnie Lake. DNR survey details →

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Bonnie Lake is a 105-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 11 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-06-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited 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.

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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.

Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.2 ft. TSI 47.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)8.2ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo 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.47Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Bonnie Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

DNR fisheries survey

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 9, 1972 caught 5.60 northern pike per gill net at Bonnie Lake.

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 declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1972-08-09 (Standard Survey).

1 survey on file · most recent 1972-08-09 (Standard Survey)

54 years old
SpeciesCatch rate (CPUE)SizeAvg weight
White Sucker
6.20
1.66 lb
Northern Pike
5.60
2.59 lb
Yellow Perch
1.40
0.16 lb
Pumpkinseed
1.00
0.06 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.

From the 1972-08-09 survey

Good population of northern pike; however, most are small (2-4 lbs). Sucker population is high and yellow perch population is low.

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 Bonnie Lake. 1 report on file.

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

Lake Details

Max depth

11 ft

Surface area

105 acres

Shoreline

2.5 mi

Littoral zone

100%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

No

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

32 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,391 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 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 Bonnie Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

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Fishing Bonnie Lake

Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).

  • Water clarity

    Worsening

    6 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Lake County

Frequently asked questions about Bonnie Lake

Where is Bonnie Lake?

Bonnie Lake is a lake in Lake 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 Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 11 ft. Surface area: 104.9 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Bonnie Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Bonnie Lake?

Bonnie Lake has a maximum depth of 11 feet. The lake covers 104.9 acres.

What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bonnie Lake?

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 9, 1972 caught 5.60 northern pike per gill net at Bonnie Lake. 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 declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR on this page ↑

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.

Where this data comes from

10 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 WaterMNPCA10 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder