Ham Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota194 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ham Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 22 ft max depth
Ham Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 22 ft. Surface area: 194.17 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 28, 2017 caught 2.00 northern pike per gill net at Ham Lake. DNR survey details →
Ham Lake is a 194-acre mesotrophic lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 22 feet (7-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in Hubbard County, Ham Lake ranks #29 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ham Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing11 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Ham Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ham 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 Ham Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Ham Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.7 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.6 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Ham Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 28, 2017 caught 2.00 northern pike per gill net at Ham Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ham Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2017-08-28 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2017-08-28 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 45.51 | 3–8 in 2017-08-28 | 0.14 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 10.31 | 6–8 in 2017-08-28 | 0.24 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 4.78 | 7–8 in 2017-08-28 | 0.42 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 3.59 | 5–18 in 2017-08-28 | 0.69 lb |
| Black Crappie | 3.38 | 11 in 2017-08-28 | 0.34 lb |
| White Sucker | 2.64 | 17–20 in 2017-08-28 | 2.08 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.
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
Hybrid Sunfish
Largemouth Bass
From the 2017-08-28 survey
Ham Lake is located five miles southeast of Nevis in southeastern Hubbard County. Ham has a surface area of 194 acres and a maximum depth of 22 feet. There is no public access on Ham. Ham provides fishing opportunities for Largemouth Bass, Panfish, and Northern Pike. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ham Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HamFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
22 ft
Average depth
7 ft
Surface area
194 acres
Shoreline
2.6 mi
Littoral zone
90%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
6 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,388 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ham Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ham Lake in Hubbard 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 Ham Lake
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Follow Ham Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Ham Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2022–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.75 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.55 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Ham 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN29-0017-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hubbard County
Frequently asked questions about Ham Lake
Where is Ham Lake?
- Ham Lake is a lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ham Lake?
- Ham Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 22 ft. Surface area: 194.17 acres.
Is Ham Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ham Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ham Lake?
- Ham Lake has a maximum depth of 22 feet and an average depth of 7 feet. The lake covers 194.17 acres.
What fish are in Ham Lake?
- Fish species found in Ham Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Ham Lake is located in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ham Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 28, 2017 caught 2.00 northern pike per gill net at Ham Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ham Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Ham Lake?
- Public access to Ham 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
43 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA43 samples · 2022–2024
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder