Child Lake
Cass County, Minnesota285 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Child Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 29 ft max depth
- Public access
Child Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 29 ft. Surface area: 285.04 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 2024 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Child Lake. DNR survey details →
Child Lake is a 285-acre mesotrophic lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 29 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 17 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 103 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Child Lake ranks #25 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 Child Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.1 ft of visibility
- Fishing17 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 13
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 Child 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 Child Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Child 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 12.1 ft. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.7 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.7µg/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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Child Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Child Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Jun (about 73°F) and coldest in Sep (about 66°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (66°F) to its warmest (73°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 27 field readings (2016–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Child Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Child Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (328,095 cells/mL) on May 23, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 2024 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Child Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Child Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
12 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-07-01 (Standard Survey).
12 surveys on file · most recent 2024-07-01 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 12.35 | ||
| Bluegill | 7.66 | 2–7 in 2024-07-01 | 0.21 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 6.10 | 5 in 2008-07-21 | 0.06 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.
Bluegill
Golden Shiner
From the 2024-07-01 survey
Child Lake (DOW # 11-0263; Lake Class 31) is a 285-acre lake with 158 littoral acres, 4.56 miles of shoreline, and a maximum depth of 29 feet located near Hackensack, MN. There is a primitive, user-developed earthen access on state-owned land on the south shore off Cass County Highway 5. Child Lake is also accessible…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Child Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ChildFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Child (1595)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — ChildFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — ChildPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
29 ft
Surface area
285 acres
Shoreline
4.6 mi
Littoral zone
55%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
108 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,316 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Child Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Child Lake in Cass 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 Child Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Child Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.37 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.03 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 13
Earliest Apr 2, 2017 · Latest Apr 25, 2019
Most recent ice-out
Apr 25
2019
7 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Child Lake
Where is Child Lake?
- Child 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 Child Lake?
- Child Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 29 ft. Surface area: 285.04 acres.
Is Child 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 Child Lake?
- Child Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 27 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Child Lake?
- Child Lake has a maximum depth of 29 feet. The lake covers 285.04 acres.
What fish are in Child Lake?
- Fish species found in Child Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Child Lake is located in Cass County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Child Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 1, 2024 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Child Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Child Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Child Lake thaw?
- Child Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 13.
Does Child Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Child Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (328,095 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Child Lake?
- Public access to Child 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 Child Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
78 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
MNPCA78 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 (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