Deer Lake
Wright County, Minnesota171 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Deer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 27 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Deer Lake in Wright County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 171.06 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 14, 2023 caught 5.67 walleye per gill net at Deer Lake. DNR survey details →
Deer Lake is a 171-acre lake in Wright County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 27 feet (9-foot average). The lake supports 17 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Deer Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing17 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Deer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Deer 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 Deer Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Deer 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 5 ft. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 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. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Deer Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Deer Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 72°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 90 field readings (2018–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Deer Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 14, 2023 caught 5.67 walleye per gill net at Deer Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Deer 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
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-08-14 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2023-08-14 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 102.28 | 5–14 in 2023-08-14 | 0.34 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 23.90 | 4–7 in 2023-08-14 | 0.15 lb |
| Black Crappie | 17.05 | 5–12 in 2023-08-14 | 0.31 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 16.46 | 3–20 in 2023-08-14 | 1.05 lb |
| Bluegill | 11.17 | 3–9 in 2023-08-14 | 0.25 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 7.81 | 3–7 in 2023-08-14 | 0.11 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
Yellow Perch
Black Crappie
Largemouth Bass
From the 2023-08-14 survey
Deer Lake is located south of the city of Buffalo in Wright County. The lake is 163 acres and has a maximum depth of 27 feet. Deer Lake has a large watershed with land use dominated by agriculture, development, and pasture. A public access is located on the south end near the outlet. Mill Creek flows through Buffalo…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Deer Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — DeerFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — DeerPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
27 ft
Average depth
9 ft
Surface area
171 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Littoral zone
74%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Deer 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 Deer Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Deer Lake
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Follow Deer Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Deer 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.
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Deer Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Deer Lake (completed 1940), built primarily for recreation on the Crow River N Fork-TR; gravity-type dam, 11 ft tall and 55 ft long.
- Surface area
- 163 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,435 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,050 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 50 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR-Wildlife
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00402 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Deer 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: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN86-0107-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Wright County
Frequently asked questions about Deer Lake
Where is Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake is a lake in Wright County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake in Wright County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 171.06 acres.
Is Deer Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Deer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in October, from 90 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake has a maximum depth of 27 feet and an average depth of 9 feet. The lake covers 171.06 acres.
What fish are in Deer Lake?
- Fish species found in Deer Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Deer Lake is located in Wright County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Deer Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 14, 2023 caught 5.67 walleye per gill net at Deer Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Deer 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.
Are there boat ramps on Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Deer Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Deer Lake?
- Deer 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 Deer Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Wright County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Lakes in the Crow River Watershed, ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Where this data comes from
68 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
MNPCA68 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
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