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LakeQuality

Floyd Lake

A
Grade A — Excellent
Excellent · #21 of 84 lakes in the county · 13.1 ft clear · Mesotrophic · 1,178 acres
Mesotrophic

Floyd Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 1177.84 acres.

Clarity
13.1 ft
Typical in August
72°F
Max depth
34 ft
Area
1,178 acres
Type
Mesotrophic
Trend
Improving
Public access
Yes
Ice-out
Apr 24
Open water
214 days

Next lake in Becker County

ALittle Floyd Lake11 ft clear · Becker CountyView →
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Free interactive depth-contour map of Floyd Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 30 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.

Floyd Lake is a 1,178-acre mesotrophic lake in Becker County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 34 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 83 other monitored lakes in Becker County, Floyd Lake ranks #21 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-26. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

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Swimming Safety

Grade only

Low algae

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

Excellent for swimming, crystal clear water with minimal algae

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Detroit Lakes

Get alerts for Floyd Lake

Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)

Good clarity, visible to about 13.1 ft. Phosphorus level: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a: 3.6 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 41.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)13.1 ftNot graded
Phosphorus12 µg/LGood
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)3.6 µg/LGood
Trophic State Index (TSI)41Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Where to stay near Floyd Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Floyd Lake in Becker 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 Floyd Lake

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →

Water Temperature

Floyd Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 73°F) and coldest in Apr (about 48°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
48°
May
57°
Jun
67°
Jul
73°
Aug
72°
Sep
65°
Oct
Nov
Dec

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 640 field readings (20162025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth34 ft
Surface Area1,178 acres
Shoreline Length9.7 mi
Littoral Zone73%
Public AccessYes

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
40 sq mi
Elevation
1,348 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Recreation & Access

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Floyd LakePublic

Fish Species

Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.

Fishing Floyd 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.

zebra mussel

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

12 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-06-21 (Standard Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
BNS217.31
Bluntnose Minnow82.96
Fathead Minnow66.65
MMS49.09
BKF38.26
Bluegill27.160.2 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

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.

Bluegill

217 fish · 29 in · 2021-06-21
107540trophy 1023456789

From the 2021-06-21 survey

Floyd (a.k.a., Big Floyd) Lake is a 1,212-acre lake located in Becker County two miles north of the city of Detroit Lakes. Floyd Lake's shoreline is heavily developed, and the lake receives a high amount of angling pressure and recreational use. Floyd Lake consists of two basins, the shallow larger main basin and the…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Floyd Lake. 3 reports on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Improving+0.092 m/yr6
Phosphorus Stable+0.37 µg/L/yr6
Chlorophyll-a Improving-0.3 µg/L/yr6
See year-by-year chart →

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (33 observations).

Typical Ice-Out
Apr 24
Typical Ice-In
Nov 24

Estimated open water season: 214 days

EarliestLatest
Ice-Out2012-03-24 (2012)2013-05-12 (2013)
Ice-In2019-11-07 (2019)2009-12-05 (2009)

Most recent ice-out: 2025-04-07

EPA Impairment Status

Floyd Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN03-0387-02 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.9 km)

County Ranking

Ranked #21 of 84 lakes in Becker County

Nearby Lakes in Becker County

Frequently asked questions about Floyd Lake

What is the water quality grade for Floyd Lake?

Floyd Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 1177.84 acres.

Is Floyd Lake safe to swim in?

Excellent for swimming, crystal clear water with minimal algae. Floyd Lake has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Algae concentration (chlorophyll-a) is 3.6 µg/L. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

What is the water temperature of Floyd Lake?

Floyd Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in August, from 640 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Floyd Lake?

Floyd Lake has a maximum depth of 34 feet. The lake covers 1177.84 acres.

What fish are in Floyd Lake?

Fish species found in Floyd Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Floyd Lake is located in Becker County, Minnesota.

When does Floyd Lake thaw?

Floyd Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24. Ice typically forms around Nov 24. The open water season is approximately 214 days.

Are there boat ramps on Floyd Lake?

Floyd Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Floyd Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Where this data comes from

215 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 WaterMNPCA215 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)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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

Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate