Broadwater Bay Lake
Cass County, Minnesota5,520 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Broadwater Bay Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- zebra mussel
- 54 ft max depth
- Public access
Broadwater Bay Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 5519.65 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 29, 2025 caught 17.33 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Broadwater Bay Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Broadwater Bay Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 40 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Broadwater Bay Lake is a 5,520-acre mesotrophic lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 54 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 22 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 103 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Broadwater Bay Lake ranks #32 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Broadwater Bay Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.4 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing22 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 24
- Deep water54 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water5,520 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Broadwater 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 Broadwater Bay Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Broadwater Bay Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14.4 ft. Phosphorus 13.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.6 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.6µg/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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Broadwater Bay Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 29, 2025 caught 17.33 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Broadwater Bay Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Broadwater Bay 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
20 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-05-29 (Targeted Survey).
20 surveys on file · most recent 2025-05-29 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 32.45 | 4–10 in 2024-09-23 | 0.17 lb |
| Walleye | 30.64 | 8–24 in 2024-09-23 | 1.15 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 12.78 | ||
| Bluegill | 5.91 | 1–8 in 2025-05-29 | 0.2 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 4.26 | 9–18 in 2024-09-23 | 1.19 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 Perch
Walleye
Bluegill
Tullibee (Cisco)
From the 2025-05-29 survey
Woman Lake (DOW# 11-0201; Lake Class 22) is a 5,520-acre lake with 1,953 littoral acres, 30.31 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 54 feet located southwest of Longville, Minnesota. Two DNR owned public accesses are located on the north shore. Child (11-0263) and Girl (11-0174) lakes are connected to Woman…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Broadwater 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 — WomanFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Woman (1613)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — WomanFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WomanPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
54 ft
Surface area
5,520 acres
Shoreline
30.3 mi
Littoral zone
35%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Woman Lake (Northeast)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Broadwater Bay Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Broadwater Bay Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Broadwater Bay Lake
- → Broadwater Bay Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Broadwater Bay Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Broadwater Bay Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Broadwater Bay Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
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: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.56 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.41 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 24
Earliest Apr 8, 2000 · Latest May 8, 1996
Typical ice-in
Nov 25
Earliest Nov 12, 1995 · Latest Dec 20, 2001
Most recent ice-out
May 5
2023
49 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Broadwater Bay Lake
Where is Broadwater Bay Lake?
- Broadwater Bay Lake is a lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Broadwater Bay Lake?
- Broadwater Bay Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 5519.65 acres.
Is Broadwater Bay Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Broadwater Bay Lake?
- Broadwater Bay Lake has a maximum depth of 54 feet. The lake covers 5519.65 acres.
What fish are in Broadwater Bay Lake?
- Fish species found in Broadwater Bay Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, burbot, greater redhorse, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, northern pike (silver phase), northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Broadwater Bay Lake is located in Cass County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Broadwater Bay Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 29, 2025 caught 17.33 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Broadwater Bay Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Broadwater Bay 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 Broadwater Bay Lake thaw?
- Broadwater Bay Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24. Ice typically forms around Nov 25. The open water season is approximately 215 days.
Are there boat ramps on Broadwater Bay Lake?
- Broadwater Bay Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Woman Lake (Northeast). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Broadwater Bay Lake?
- Broadwater 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 Broadwater 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 Cass 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
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Where this data comes from
108 measurements from 2 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
MNPCA108 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate