Dead Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota131 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Dead Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 34 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Dead Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 130.64 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 10, 2017 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Dead Lake. DNR survey details →
Dead Lake is a 131-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 34 feet. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in Hubbard County, Dead Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Dead Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16 ft of visibility
- Fishing9 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 22
- Deep water34 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Dead 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 Dead Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Dead Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.8 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.8µg/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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Dead Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Dead Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 77°F) and coldest in Jun (about 68°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (68°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 25 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Dead Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 10, 2017 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Dead Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Dead 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
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2017-07-10 (Standard Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2017-07-10 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Crappie | 20.69 | 5–13 in 2017-07-10 | 0.3 lb |
| Bluegill | 19.49 | 2–8 in 2017-07-10 | 0.15 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 18.64 | 5–8 in 2017-07-10 | 0.12 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 11.72 | 8–20 in 2017-07-10 | 0.89 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 11.16 |
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 Crappie
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
Largemouth Bass
From the 2017-07-10 survey
Dead Lake is located in south-central Hubbard County, five miles north of Dorset. Dead has a surface area of 130 acres and a maximum depth of 34.0 feet. There is no public access on Dead. Dead is connected to Ojibway Lake, which lies to the south, by a small channel. Boating between the two lakes is dependent upon…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Dead Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — DeadFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
34 ft
Surface area
131 acres
Shoreline
2.7 mi
Littoral zone
41%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
27 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,430 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Dead Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Dead Lake in Hubbard 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 Dead Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Dead Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 22
Earliest Apr 20, 2025 · Latest May 6, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 29
Earliest Nov 28, 2023 · Latest Dec 7, 2021
Most recent ice-out
Apr 20
2025
7 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Hubbard County
Frequently asked questions about Dead Lake
Where is Dead Lake?
- Dead Lake is a lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Dead Lake?
- Dead Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 130.64 acres.
Is Dead 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 Dead Lake?
- Dead Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 25 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Dead Lake?
- Dead Lake has a maximum depth of 34 feet. The lake covers 130.64 acres.
What fish are in Dead Lake?
- Fish species found in Dead Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Dead Lake is located in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Dead Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 10, 2017 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Dead Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Dead 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 Dead Lake thaw?
- Dead Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 22. Ice typically forms around Nov 29. The open water season is approximately 221 days.
Can I fish at Dead Lake?
- Public access to Dead 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 Dead Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
51 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
MNPCA51 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