Deer Yard Lake
Cook County, Minnesota343 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Deer Yard Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 20 ft max depth
- Public access
Deer Yard Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 342.87 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 10, 2018 caught 16.33 walleye per gill net at Deer Yard Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–28 inches. DNR survey details →
Deer Yard Lake is a 343-acre mesotrophic lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 20 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 2 documented fish species including walleye and white sucker. Public access is available. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Cook County, Deer Yard Lake ranks #12 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Deer Yard Lake covers about 340 acres in Cook County. The median ice-out date is May 14, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Deer Yard Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Deer Yard Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Ice seasonIce-out around May 14
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. Deer Yard Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Deer Yard 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 Yard Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Deer Yard Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.2 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.3 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.3µg/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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Deer Yard Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Deer Yard Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (366,438 cells/mL) on May 30, 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 August 10, 2018 caught 16.33 walleye per gill net at Deer Yard Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–28 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Deer Yard Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. 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: 2018-08-10 (Standard Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2018-08-10 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 17.17 | 3–28 in 2018-08-10 | 0.51 lb |
| White Sucker | 9.72 | 2–21 in 2018-08-10 | 1.87 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 2.48 | 5 in 2013-07-22 | 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.
Walleye
White Sucker
Golden Shiner
From the 2018-08-10 survey
Deer Yard Lake has long been known for supporting very high numbers of small Walleye, with no panfish and no other gamefish species present. The current (2012) lake management plan set goals for Walleye of maintaining a high gill net catch (20 fish/set), with a mean weight for fish taken in gill nets of at least 0.7…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Deer Yard Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Deer YardFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Deer Yard (1798)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Deer YardPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
20 ft
Surface area
343 acres
Shoreline
5.1 mi
Littoral zone
58%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,499 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Deer Yard Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Deer Yard Lake in Cook 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 Deer Yard 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.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Deer Yard Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.66 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.03 µg/L/yr5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
May 14
Earliest May 4, 2020 · Latest May 14, 2022
Most recent ice-out
May 14
2022
5 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Deer Yard 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN16-0253-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Deer Yard Lake
Where is Deer Yard Lake?
- Deer Yard Lake is a lake in Cook 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 Yard Lake?
- Deer Yard Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 342.87 acres.
Is Deer Yard Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Deer Yard Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Deer Yard Lake?
- Deer Yard Lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet. The lake covers 342.87 acres.
What fish are in Deer Yard Lake?
- Fish species found in Deer Yard Lake include walleye, white sucker. Deer Yard Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Deer Yard Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 10, 2018 caught 16.33 walleye per gill net at Deer Yard Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–28 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Deer Yard Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Deer Yard Lake thaw?
- Deer Yard Lake typically has ice-out around May 14.
Does Deer Yard Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Deer Yard Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (366,438 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Deer Yard Lake?
- Public access to Deer Yard 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 Deer Yard Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
4 mi away · 30 ft
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Where this data comes from
76 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA76 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 (2)
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate