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D

Collinwood Lake

Wright County, MinnesotaEutrophic

Collinwood Lake earns a D — measurements through 2024 show persistent nutrient pressure that limits clarity through the summer. The two scored sub-grades — clarity and phosphorus — track close together, so neither one is dragging the average down.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. Collinwood Lake reaches 28 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Collinwood Lake covers 639 acres alongside 4.9 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Collinwood Lake sits at rank 48 of 64 in Wright County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Collinwood Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 18 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. Ice-out has been logged at Collinwood Lake more than two dozen times, putting the median around Apr 7 — a useful baseline for tracking climate trends. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-16. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

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Swimming Safety

Swimming not recommended, poor water quality with high algae risk

Water Quality Grade: D, Poor

Murky, only visible to about 3.9 ft. Phosphorus level: 120.5 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 65.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)3.9 ftD
Phosphorus120.5 µg/LF
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)65Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth28 ft
Average Depth12 ft
Surface Area638.93 acres
Shoreline Length4.9 mi
Littoral Zone55%
Public AccessYes

Fish Species

black bullhead,black crappie,bluegill,bowfin (dogfish),brown bullhead,channel catfish,common carp,green sunfish,hybrid sunfish,largemouth bass,northern pike,orangespotted sunfish,pumpkinseed,smallmouth bass,walleye,white sucker,yellow bullhead,yellow perch

Click a species to see all Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes where it is found.

→ Best fishing times for Collinwood Lake (14-day solunar calendar)

→ Is it safe to eat fish from Collinwood Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)

Collinwood Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

Water Quality Trend: Improving

Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Improving+0.208 m/yr4
Phosphorus Stable+2.25 µg/L/yr3
See year-by-year chart →

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (56 observations).

Typical Ice-Out
Apr 7
Typical Ice-In
Nov 25

Estimated open water season: 232 days

EarliestLatest
Ice-Out2024-03-04 (2024)1996-04-23 (1996)
Ice-In1991-11-04 (1991)2001-12-20 (2001)

Most recent ice-out: 2026-03-30

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #48 of 64 lakes in Wright County

Cleaner Lakes Within 30 Miles

Collinwood Lake holds Grade D. 5 nearby lakes hold higher grades.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in Wright County

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

27 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-09-16 (Targeted Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Black Bullhead39.210.53 lb
Green Sunfish20.920.08 lb
Yellow Perch16.310.13 lb
Walleye14.591.44 lb
Black Crappie14.000.23 lb
Largemouth Bass11.701.14 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

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

96 fish · 314 in · 2024-07-08
3518034567891011121314

Green Sunfish

1 fish · 55 in · 2020-07-06
105

Yellow Perch

272 fish · 49 in · 2024-07-08
2041020456789

Walleye

11 fish · 56 in · 2024-09-10
84056

From the 2025-09-16 survey

A targeted survey (fall nighttime electrofishing) was conducted on Collinwood Lake on September 16th, 2025, to evaluate young of the year (YOY) and yearling Walleye abundance. A total of 0 YOY were sampled for a catch rate of 0.0 fish/hr., which was below the lake's historical (1993 to 2025) median (16.5 fish/hr.).…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Collinwood Lake. 4 reports on file.

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Collinwood Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Collinwood Lake (completed 1955), built primarily for recreation on the Collinwood Creek; gravity-type dam, 11 ft tall and 32 ft long.

Surface area
644 ac
Normal storage
6,864 ac-ft
Max storage
8,580 ac-ft
Drainage area
50.9 sq mi
Hazard class
Low
Owner
MNDNR-Fisheries

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00059 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Collinwood Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Impaired biota (cause unknown)MercuryNutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN86-0293-00 · Official waterbody report

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder

Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate

Most recent sample: 2024-09-16

Monitoring stations: 1