Fish Lake
Pine County, Minnesota185 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Fish Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 18 ft max depth
- Limited data
Fish Lake in Pine County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 18 ft. Surface area: 184.59 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 7, 2010 caught 7.67 northern pike per gill net at Fish Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–36 inches. DNR survey details →
Fish Lake is a 185-acre lake in Pine County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 18 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2021-09-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Fish 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 Fish Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Fish 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 6 ft. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6ft | 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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Fish Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 7, 2010 caught 7.67 northern pike per gill net at Fish Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–36 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Fish Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2010-06-07 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2010-06-07 (Standard Survey)
16 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 22.01 | 11 in 2010-06-07 | 0.35 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 10.48 | 6–8 in 2000-06-07 | 0.22 lb |
| Black Crappie | 9.16 | 4–11 in 2010-06-07 | 0.25 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 7.52 | 5 in 2010-06-07 | 0.12 lb |
| Bluegill | 5.89 | 3–8 in 2010-06-07 | 0.21 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.40 | 17–36 in 2010-06-07 | 3.35 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 Bullhead
Black Crappie
Yellow Perch
From the 2010-06-07 survey
Fish Lake is a moderately fertile 82 acre basin located in Pine County on the west side of the town of Finlayson. The shoreline surrounding the lake has minimal development with most of the shoreline made up of undeveloped mixed hardwood forest, marshland, and grassland. The fishery is managed primarily for northern…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Fish Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — FishFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Fish (0344)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — FishFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
18 ft
Surface area
185 acres
Shoreline
6 mi
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,109 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Fish Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Fish Lake in Pine 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 Fish Lake
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Fishing Fish Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2021). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Fish Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Luoma Egg Ranch IncFinlayson · 0.9 mi away · NPDES MN0056090
- Finlayson WwtpFinlayson · 1.6 mi away · NPDES MN0023418
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Pine County
Frequently asked questions about Fish Lake
Where is Fish Lake?
- Fish Lake is a lake in Pine County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Fish Lake?
- Fish Lake in Pine County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 18 ft. Surface area: 184.59 acres.
Is Fish Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Fish Lake?
- Fish Lake has a maximum depth of 18 feet. The lake covers 184.59 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Fish Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 7, 2010 caught 7.67 northern pike per gill net at Fish Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 17–36 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Fish Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Fish Lake?
- Public access to Fish Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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.
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA10 samples · 2020–2021
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder