Camp Lake
Sherburne County, Minnesota82 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Camp Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 34 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Camp Lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 82.27 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 27, 2022 caught 10.00 northern pike per gill net at Camp Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–32 inches. DNR survey details →
Camp Lake is a 82-acre lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 34 feet (9-foot average). The lake supports 6 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and hybrid sunfish. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Camp Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 9
- Deep water34 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 Camp 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 Camp Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Camp 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 10.5 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | 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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Camp Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Camp Lake typically sits around 79°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 79°F) and coldest in Jun (about 73°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (73°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 10 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Camp Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 27, 2022 caught 10.00 northern pike per gill net at Camp Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–32 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Camp 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
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-06-27 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2022-06-27 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 112.02 | 8–10 in 2009-06-29 | 0.3 lb |
| Bluegill | 45.81 | 1–6 in 2022-06-27 | 0.12 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 26.80 | 8–20 in 2022-06-27 | 1.34 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.75 | 17–32 in 2022-06-27 | 3.49 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 3.19 | 3–7 in 2022-06-27 | 0.14 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 1.28 | 3–8 in 2022-06-27 | 0.23 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.
Black Bullhead
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Northern Pike
From the 2022-06-27 survey
Camp Lake is a small 79-acre lake located two miles southeast of the city of Clear Lake in Sherburne County. The lake has a maximum depth of 34 feet with good water quality and an average summer water clarity of nine feet. The lake took a winterkill in 1978-79 and eliminated all fish but Black Bullhead and Fathead…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Camp Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CampFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Camp (1976)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — CampPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
34 ft
Average depth
9.1 ft
Surface area
82 acres
Shoreline
2 mi
Littoral zone
68%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
961 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Camp Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Camp Lake in Sherburne 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 Camp Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Camp Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Camp Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 9
Earliest Mar 16, 2016 · Latest May 1, 2018
Typical ice-in
Dec 1
Earliest Nov 19, 2018 · Latest Dec 21, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Apr 20
2023
18 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Sherburne County
Frequently asked questions about Camp Lake
Where is Camp Lake?
- Camp Lake is a lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Camp Lake?
- Camp Lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 82.27 acres.
Is Camp Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Camp Lake?
- Camp Lake typically sits around 79°F at the surface in August, from 10 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Camp Lake?
- Camp Lake has a maximum depth of 34 feet and an average depth of 9.1 feet. The lake covers 82.27 acres.
What fish are in Camp Lake?
- Fish species found in Camp Lake include black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed. Camp Lake is located in Sherburne County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Camp Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 27, 2022 caught 10.00 northern pike per gill net at Camp Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–32 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Camp 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.
When does Camp Lake thaw?
- Camp Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 9. Ice typically forms around Dec 1. The open water season is approximately 236 days.
Can I fish at Camp Lake?
- Public access to Camp 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 Camp Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
48 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA48 samples · 2020–2025
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate