Cable Lake
Polk County, Minnesota194 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Cable Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 14 ft max depth
- Public access
Cable Lake in Polk County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 14 ft. Surface area: 193.51 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 20, 1990 caught 4.33 northern pike per gill net at Cable Lake. DNR survey details →
Cable Lake is a 194-acre mesotrophic lake in Polk County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 14 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 18 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Cable Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Cable Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.2 ft of visibility
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 Cable 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 Cable Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Cable 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 10.2 ft. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.9 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 19µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.9µg/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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Cable Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 20, 1990 caught 4.33 northern pike per gill net at Cable Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cable Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. 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: 1990-08-20 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1990-08-20 (Standard Survey)
36 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 81.59 | 0.17 lb | |
| Brown Bullhead | 8.75 | 0.34 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 5.25 | 0.24 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 5.17 | 0.15 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 4.79 | 2.14 lb | |
| Bluegill | 4.67 | 0.3 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 1990-08-20 survey
NORTHERN PIKE RECRUITMENT APPEARS SPORADIC ALTHOUG H ABUNDANCE IS AVERAGE FOR SIMILAR LAKE TYPES. GR OWTH RATES ARE RAPID AND AVERAGE WEIGHTS ARE ABOVE NORMAL (>4 LB.) FOR PIKE. THE INCREASING BLUE- GILL POPULATION EXHIBITS AVERAGE ABUNDANCE AND GOO D INDIVIDUAL GROWTH RATES. BLACK CRAPPIE NUMBERS ARE LOW BUT HAVE…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Cable Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CableFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — CableFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
14 ft
Surface area
194 acres
Shoreline
6.2 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,171 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Cable Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Cable Lake
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Fishing Cable Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.25 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.14 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Cable Lake
Where is Cable Lake?
- Cable Lake is a lake in Polk County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cable Lake?
- Cable Lake in Polk County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 14 ft. Surface area: 193.51 acres.
Is Cable Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Cable Lake?
- Cable Lake has a maximum depth of 14 feet. The lake covers 193.51 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Cable Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 20, 1990 caught 4.33 northern pike per gill net at Cable Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cable Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Cable Lake?
- Public access to Cable Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Cable Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
65 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA65 samples · 2021–2025
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder