Boot Lake
Lake County, Minnesota197 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Boot Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 83 ft max depth
- Limited data
Boot Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 83 ft. Surface area: 197.07 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 3.00 walleye per gill net at Boot Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–25 inches. DNR survey details →
Boot Lake is a 197-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 83 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 2023-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Boot Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16.5 ft of visibility
- Deep water83 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 Boot 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 Boot Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Boot 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 16.5 ft down. TSI 37.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16.5ft | 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. | 37 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Boot Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 3.00 walleye per gill net at Boot Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Boot Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-31 (Targeted Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-31 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Bass | 3.45 | 3–6 in 2015-07-27 | 0.14 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 2.58 | 0.34 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 2.00 | 21–35 in 2015-07-27 | 4.26 lb |
| Walleye | 1.89 | 14–25 in 2015-07-27 | 2.44 lb |
| White Sucker | 1.78 | 17–20 in 2015-07-27 | 2.98 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.
Rock Bass
Northern Pike
Walleye
White Sucker
From the 2025-07-31 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Boot Lake on July 31st, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Boot Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BootFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
83 ft
Surface area
197 acres
Shoreline
4.6 mi
Littoral zone
68%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
30 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,388 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Boot Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Boot 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 Boot Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Boot Lake’s readings
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Fishing Boot Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Boot Lake
Where is Boot Lake?
- Boot 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 Boot Lake?
- Boot Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 83 ft. Surface area: 197.07 acres.
Is Boot Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Boot Lake?
- Boot Lake has a maximum depth of 83 feet. The lake covers 197.07 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Boot Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 3.00 walleye per gill net at Boot Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–25 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Boot Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Boot Lake?
- Public access to Boot 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.
Explore Boot Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA16 samples · 2020–2023
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder