Frances Lake
Le Sueur County, Minnesota927 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Frances Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 60 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Frances Lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 60 ft. Surface area: 927.01 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 3.33 walleye per gill net at Frances Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Frances Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 60 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Frances Lake is a 927-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 60 feet. 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 12 other monitored lakes in Le Sueur County, Frances Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Frances Lake covers about 930 acres in Le Sueur County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is March 29, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Frances Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Frances Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing16 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 29
- Deep water60 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Frances Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Frances 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 Frances Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Frances 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. Phosphorus 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 20.6 µg/L. TSI 54.
| 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 | 23µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 20.6µg/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. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Frances Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Frances Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 81°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 81°F) and coldest in May (about 61°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (61°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 10 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Frances Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 3.33 walleye per gill net at Frances Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Frances Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 26.38 | 4–18 in 2025-07-07 | 0.79 lb |
| Bluegill | 20.66 | 2–8 in 2025-07-07 | 0.14 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 12.99 | 7–15 in 2025-07-07 | 0.96 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 9.59 | 1–2 in 2001-07-16 | |
| Green Sunfish | 5.16 | 7 in 2016-07-11 | 0.27 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 4.46 | 8–12 in 2025-07-07 | 0.85 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.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Yellow Bullhead
Bluntnose Minnow
From the 2025-07-07 survey
Lake Frances is an 870-acre lake located in LeSueur County near the Town of Elysian. Lake Frances has good water quality and a diverse plant community. Residential development has disturbed and altered the majority of Lake Frances's shoreline. In areas with residential development, lawns are typically maintained to…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Frances Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — FrancesFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Frances (1389)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — FrancesFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — FrancesPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
60 ft
Surface area
927 acres
Shoreline
8.8 mi
Littoral zone
54%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Frances Lake (West)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Frances Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Frances Lake in Le Sueur 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 Frances Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Frances 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 Frances Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Frances 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 Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-4 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-4.7 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 29
Earliest Mar 4, 2024 · Latest Apr 30, 2018
Typical ice-in
Dec 3
Earliest Nov 21, 2018 · Latest Jan 10, 1999
Most recent ice-out
Mar 27
2026
51 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Frances 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, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN40-0057-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Le Sueur County
Frequently asked questions about Frances Lake
Where is Frances Lake?
- Frances Lake is a lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Frances Lake?
- Frances Lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 60 ft. Surface area: 927.01 acres.
Is Frances Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Frances Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Frances Lake?
- Frances Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September, from 10 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Frances Lake?
- Frances Lake has a maximum depth of 60 feet. The lake covers 927.01 acres.
What fish are in Frances Lake?
- Fish species found in Frances Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Frances Lake is located in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Frances Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 3.33 walleye per gill net at Frances Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Frances Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Frances Lake thaw?
- Frances Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 29. Ice typically forms around Dec 3. The open water season is approximately 249 days.
Are there boat ramps on Frances Lake?
- Frances Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Frances Lake (West). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Frances Lake?
- Frances Lake has 1 documented boat landing 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 Frances 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 Le Sueur County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Minnesota River Watershed, ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Minnesota
State Parks Near Frances Lake
Other Lakes in Minnesota
Eutrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Compare Frances Lake With Nearby Lakes
Le Sueur County · 4.5 ft
Le Sueur County · 3 ft
Le Sueur County · 2.6 ft
Le Sueur County · 3 ft
Le Sueur County · 3.5 ft
Le Sueur County · 2 ft
Where this data comes from
85 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
MNPCA85 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)
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate