Del Clark Lake
Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota156 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Del Clark Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 30 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Del Clark Lake in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 156.3 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 3.50 walleye per gill net at Del Clark Lake. DNR survey details →
Del Clark Lake is a 156-acre lake in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 30 feet (13-foot average). The lake supports 14 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Del Clark Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Fishing14 species recorded
- Deep water30 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Del Clark Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Del Clark 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 Del Clark Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Del Clark 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 Del Clark Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Del Clark Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in Mar (about 39°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (39°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 16 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Del Clark Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 3.50 walleye per gill net at Del Clark Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Del Clark 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: 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey).
12 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 755.27 | 2–9 in 2025-07-07 | 0.1 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 170.40 | 2–17 in 2025-07-07 | 1.98 lb |
| White Bass | 78.20 | 9–17 in 2025-07-07 | 1.34 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.
Yellow Perch
Largemouth Bass
White Bass
From the 2025-07-07 survey
Del Clark Lake is located one mile southwest of Canby. It is an impoundment on Canby Creek that has a surface area of 154 acres and maximum depth of 30 feet. The Lac qui Parle-Yellow Bank Watershed District owns the property around the lake, including Stonehill Regional Park. The park provides shore angling locations,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Del Clark Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Del ClarkFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Del Clark (1393)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Del ClarkFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Del ClarkPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Average depth
13 ft
Surface area
156 acres
Shoreline
4.4 mi
Littoral zone
56%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
21 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,283 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Del Clark LakePublic
- Del Clark Lake Access #2Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Del Clark Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Del Clark Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Del Clark Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Del Clark Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Canby R-1 (completed 1985), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Canby Creek; earth-type dam, 62 ft tall and 4,600 ft long.
- Surface area
- 160 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,220 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 6,100 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 26 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- WD of Lac Qui Parle-Yellow Bank
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00972 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.45 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Del Clark 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 MN87-0180-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Yellow Medicine County
Frequently asked questions about Del Clark Lake
Where is Del Clark Lake?
- Del Clark Lake is a lake in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Del Clark Lake?
- Del Clark Lake in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 156.3 acres.
Is Del Clark Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Del Clark Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Del Clark Lake?
- Del Clark Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 16 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Del Clark Lake?
- Del Clark Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet and an average depth of 13 feet. The lake covers 156.3 acres.
What fish are in Del Clark Lake?
- Fish species found in Del Clark Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, crappie, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, suckers, sunfish, walleye, white bass, white sucker, yellow perch. Del Clark Lake is located in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Del Clark Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 3.50 walleye per gill net at Del Clark Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Del Clark 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 Del Clark Lake?
- Del Clark Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Del Clark Lake, Del Clark Lake Access #2. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Del Clark Lake?
- Del Clark Lake has 2 documented boat landings 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 Del Clark Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
108 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
MNPCA108 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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory