Foot Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota503 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Foot Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- zebra mussel
- 24 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Foot Lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 54.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 502.99 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 21, 2025 caught 3.67 walleye per gill net at Foot Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–20 inches. DNR survey details →
Foot Lake is a 503-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 24 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 24 other monitored lakes in Kandiyohi County, Foot Lake ranks #15 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Foot Lake covers about 500 acres in Kandiyohi County. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. The median ice-out date is April 3, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Foot Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Foot Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 3
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Foot 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 Foot Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Foot Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 54.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 20.5 µg/L. TSI 62.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 54.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 20.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 62 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Foot 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 Foot Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was moderate (34,041 cells/mL) on November 22, 2025.
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 July 21, 2025 caught 3.67 walleye per gill net at Foot Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–20 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Foot Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 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: 2025-07-21 (Standard Survey).
12 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-21 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 106.53 | 5–11 in 2025-07-21 | 0.38 lb |
| Walleye | 54.33 | 5–20 in 2025-07-21 | 1.27 lb |
| Bluegill | 9.11 | 2–8 in 2025-07-21 | 0.17 lb |
| Black Crappie | 6.97 | 4–11 in 2025-07-21 | 0.26 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 6.69 | 4–9 in 2025-07-21 | 0.14 lb |
| Freshwater Drum | 5.04 | 10–16 in 2025-07-21 | 1.4 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
Walleye
Bluegill
Black Crappie
From the 2025-07-21 survey
A standard survey was conducted on Foot Lake during late July of 2025. A fall night electrofishing survey was conducted for young of year "YOY" (fingerling sized) Walleye during early September of 2025. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e. spawning season, fall…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Foot Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — FootFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — FootFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — FootPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
24 ft
Surface area
503 acres
Shoreline
6.2 mi
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Foot LakePublic
- Foot Lake, County Road 41Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Foot Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Foot Lake in Kandiyohi 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Foot Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Foot 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.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Foot Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Foot 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 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
Stable2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+17.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-5.3 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 3
Earliest Mar 7, 2017 · Latest May 2, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 17
Earliest Nov 8, 2017 · Latest Nov 30, 2006
Most recent ice-out
Apr 2
2020
17 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Foot Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Bnsf Railway Co - WillmarWillmar · 1 mi away · NPDES MN0000779
- Willmar Municipal UtilitiesWillmar · 1 mi away · NPDES MN0069663
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 Kandiyohi County
Frequently asked questions about Foot Lake
Where is Foot Lake?
- Foot Lake is a lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Foot Lake?
- Foot Lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 54.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 502.99 acres.
Is Foot Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Foot Lake?
- Foot Lake has a maximum depth of 24 feet. The lake covers 502.99 acres.
What fish are in Foot Lake?
- Fish species found in Foot Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Foot Lake is located in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Foot Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 21, 2025 caught 3.67 walleye per gill net at Foot Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–20 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Foot Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Foot Lake thaw?
- Foot Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 3. Ice typically forms around Nov 17. The open water season is approximately 228 days.
Does Foot Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Foot Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was moderate (34,041 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Foot Lake?
- Foot Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Foot Lake, Foot Lake, County Road 41. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Foot Lake?
- Foot 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 Foot Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Kandiyohi County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Crow River Watershed, ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Minnesota
State Parks Near Foot Lake
Other Lakes in Minnesota
Eutrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Compare Foot Lake With Nearby Lakes
Where this data comes from
15 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA15 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate