Great Northern Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota196 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Great Northern Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 16 ft max depth
- Limited data
Great Northern Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 16.2 ft. Surface area: 195.9 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 29, 2024 caught 4.50 walleye per gill net at Great Northern Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–27 inches. DNR survey details →
Great Northern Lake is a 196-acre lake in Stearns County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 16 feet (6-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 21 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Great Northern Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing21 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 29
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Great Northern Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Great Northern 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 Great Northern Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Great Northern 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 4.5 ft. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.5ft | 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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Great Northern Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Great Northern Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 80°F) and coldest in May (about 67°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (67°F) to its warmest (80°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 36 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Great Northern Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 29, 2024 caught 4.50 walleye per gill net at Great Northern Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–27 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Great Northern Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
19 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-10-15 (Targeted Survey).
19 surveys on file · most recent 2025-10-15 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 53.70 | 11–27 in 2025-10-15 | 1.52 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 46.90 | ||
| Black Crappie | 34.74 | 4–10 in 2024-07-29 | 0.32 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 19.36 | ||
| Channel Catfish | 19.26 | 17–22 in 2024-07-29 | 1.84 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 15.02 | 4–16 in 2024-07-29 | 0.63 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.
Walleye
Black Crappie
Channel Catfish
Largemouth Bass
From the 2025-10-15 survey
The Sauk River Chain of Lakes (SRCL) is located in south-central Stearns County near the city of Cold Spring. A dam on the Sauk River built in the early 1900s created the SRCL and provides access to over 3,200 acres of connected water, including Bolfing, Great Northern, Knaus, Krays, Schneider, Zumwalde, Cedar Island,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Great Northern Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Great NorthernFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
16.2 ft
Average depth
6.1 ft
Surface area
196 acres
Shoreline
6 mi
Littoral zone
95%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Great Northern Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Great Northern Lake in Stearns 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 Great Northern Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Great Northern Lake
- → Great Northern Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Great Northern Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Great Northern Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Great Northern Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
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: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+33.25 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+22.45 µg/L/yr3 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 29
Earliest Mar 29, 2025 · Latest Apr 16, 2023
Most recent ice-out
Mar 29
2025
3 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Great Northern 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: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN73-0083-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Stearns County
Frequently asked questions about Great Northern Lake
Where is Great Northern Lake?
- Great Northern Lake is a lake in Stearns County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Great Northern Lake?
- Great Northern Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 16.2 ft. Surface area: 195.9 acres.
Is Great Northern Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Great Northern Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Great Northern Lake?
- Great Northern Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in September, from 36 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Great Northern Lake?
- Great Northern Lake has a maximum depth of 16.2 feet and an average depth of 6.1 feet. The lake covers 195.9 acres.
What fish are in Great Northern Lake?
- Fish species found in Great Northern Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, greater redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Great Northern Lake is located in Stearns County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Great Northern Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 29, 2024 caught 4.50 walleye per gill net at Great Northern Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–27 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Great Northern Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Great Northern Lake thaw?
- Great Northern Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 29.
Can I fish at Great Northern Lake?
- Public access to Great Northern 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.
Explore Great Northern Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Stearns County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
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Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Where this data comes from
51 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
MNPCA51 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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate