Cannon Lake
Rice County, Minnesota1,593 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Cannon Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- flowering rush
- 15 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Cannon Lake in Rice County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 244 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 46.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 1593.25 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Cannon Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 15 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Cannon Lake is a 1,593-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Rice County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 15 feet. The lake supports 17 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 13 other monitored lakes in Rice County, Cannon Lake ranks #12 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Cannon Lake covers about 1,600 acres in Rice County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is March 31, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Cannon Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Cannon Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing17 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 31
- Big water1,593 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Cannon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cannon 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 Cannon Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Cannon Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.1 ft. Phosphorus 244 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 46.5 µg/L. TSI 69.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 244µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 46.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 69 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Cannon Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
15 ft
Surface area
1,593 acres
Shoreline
12 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Cannon LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Cannon Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Cannon Lake in Rice 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Cannon Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Cannon Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Cannon Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 31
Earliest Feb 28, 2024 · Latest Apr 29, 2018
Typical ice-in
Nov 28
Earliest Nov 3, 1991 · Latest Dec 19, 1998
Most recent ice-out
Mar 26
2026
74 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Cannon Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN66-0008-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Rice County
Frequently asked questions about Cannon Lake
Where is Cannon Lake?
- Cannon Lake is a lake in Rice County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cannon Lake?
- Cannon Lake in Rice County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 244 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 46.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 1593.25 acres.
Is Cannon Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Cannon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Cannon Lake?
- Cannon Lake has a maximum depth of 15 feet. The lake covers 1593.25 acres.
What fish are in Cannon Lake?
- Fish species found in Cannon Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), channel catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, river carpsucker, walleye, white bass, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Cannon Lake is located in Rice County, Minnesota.
When does Cannon Lake thaw?
- Cannon Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 31. Ice typically forms around Nov 28. The open water season is approximately 242 days.
Are there boat ramps on Cannon Lake?
- Cannon Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Cannon Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Cannon Lake?
- Cannon 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 Cannon Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA12 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate