Ham Lake
Lake County, Minnesota1,469 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ham Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 53 ft max depth
- Limited data
Ham Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 53 ft. Surface area: 1469 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 1979 caught 8.20 walleye per gill net at Ham Lake. DNR survey details →
Ham Lake is a 1,469-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 53 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2021-06-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ham Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Deep water53 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,469 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. 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.
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft. TSI 51.
| 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 | 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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Ham Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 1979 caught 8.20 walleye 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 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-04 (Targeted Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-04 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 17.60 | 0.21 lb | |
| White Sucker | 9.20 | 1.03 lb | |
| Walleye | 8.20 | 0.7 lb | |
| Rock Bass | 4.40 | 0.2 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 3.00 | 3.53 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 2.00 | 0.19 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.
From the 2025-08-04 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Alice Lake on August 4th, 2025. This was done to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this…
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 — AliceFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
53 ft
Surface area
1,469 acres
Shoreline
27.6 mi
Littoral zone
30%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Ham Lake
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Fishing Ham Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Ham Lake
Where is Ham Lake?
- Ham Lake is a lake in Lake 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 Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 53 ft. Surface area: 1469 acres.
Is Ham Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ham Lake?
- Ham Lake has a maximum depth of 53 feet. The lake covers 1469 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ham Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 1979 caught 8.20 walleye 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 4 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.
Explore Ham 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 Lake 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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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA1 sample · 2021
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
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder