Hanks Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota165 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Hanks Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 45 ft max depth
Hanks Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 164.72 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 10, 2023 caught 6.30 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Hanks Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–16 inches. DNR survey details →
Hanks Lake is a 165-acre mesotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 45 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 14 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Hanks Lake ranks #61 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Hanks Lake covers about 160 acres in Crow Wing County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Hanks Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Hanks Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing14 species recorded
- Deep water45 ft surveyed max depth
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. Hanks Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hanks 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 Hanks Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Hanks Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft. Phosphorus 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.2 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 12µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.2µg/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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Hanks Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Hanks Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in May (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (63°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 75 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Hanks Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 10, 2023 caught 6.30 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Hanks Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–16 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hanks 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
11 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-07-10 (Targeted Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2023-07-10 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 40.51 | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 30.97 | 6–16 in 2023-06-05 | 1.02 lb |
| Bluegill | 29.29 | 3–8 in 2023-06-05 | 0.16 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 25.45 | 6–15 in 2023-06-05 | 0.66 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
Tullibee (Cisco)
From the 2023-07-10 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Hanks Lake was conducted on July 10-11, 2023, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine. Nearshore sampling captured nineteen…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Hanks Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HanksFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — HanksFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
45 ft
Surface area
165 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Littoral zone
30%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Hanks Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Hanks Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Hanks 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: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.56 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.13 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Hanks Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN18-0044-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Hanks Lake
Where is Hanks Lake?
- Hanks Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hanks Lake?
- Hanks Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 164.72 acres.
Is Hanks Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hanks Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Hanks Lake?
- Hanks Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 75 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Hanks Lake?
- Hanks Lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet. The lake covers 164.72 acres.
What fish are in Hanks Lake?
- Fish species found in Hanks Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Hanks Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Hanks Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 10, 2023 caught 6.30 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Hanks Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 6–16 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hanks 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.
Can I fish at Hanks Lake?
- Public access to Hanks 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
97 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA97 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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