Hawksnest Lake
Lincoln County, Minnesota299 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Hawksnest Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 7 ft max depth
- Limited data
Hawksnest Lake in Lincoln County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 213 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14 µg/L. Maximum depth: 7.3 ft. Surface area: 298.64 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 18, 2002 caught 3.75 black bullhead per gill net at Hawksnest Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–11 inches. DNR survey details →
Hawksnest Lake is a 299-acre lake in Lincoln County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 7 feet. 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 2022-07-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hawksnest 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 Hawksnest Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Hawksnest 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 6.6 ft. Phosphorus 213 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 14 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 213µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 14µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 63 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Hawksnest Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 18, 2002 caught 3.75 black bullhead per gill net at Hawksnest Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–11 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hawksnest Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2002-06-18 (Standard Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2002-06-18 (Standard Survey)
24 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathead Minnow | 2962.00 | ||
| Black Bullhead | 150.75 | 4–11 in 2002-06-18 | 0.18 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 29.75 | 3–13 in 1998-06-17 | 0.2 lb |
| White Sucker | 0.10 | 16 in 1993-06-21 | 1.63 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.
Black Bullhead
Yellow Perch
White Sucker
From the 2002-06-18 survey
Hawks Nest is a shallow, 282 acres lake located three miles east of Ivanhoe in southwest Minnesota. Due to the shallow and productive nature of the lake, it is prone to winterkill. The latest winterkill occurred during the winter of 2000/2001. This winterkill apparently eliminated yellow perch from the lake. An…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Hawksnest Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HawksnestFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
7.3 ft
Surface area
299 acres
Shoreline
4.6 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,627 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
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Stays near Hawksnest Lake
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Fishing Hawksnest Lake
Nearby Lakes in Lincoln County
Frequently asked questions about Hawksnest Lake
Where is Hawksnest Lake?
- Hawksnest Lake is a lake in Lincoln County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hawksnest Lake?
- Hawksnest Lake in Lincoln County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 213 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14 µg/L. Maximum depth: 7.3 ft. Surface area: 298.64 acres.
Is Hawksnest Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Hawksnest Lake?
- Hawksnest Lake has a maximum depth of 7.3 feet. The lake covers 298.64 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Hawksnest Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 18, 2002 caught 3.75 black bullhead per gill net at Hawksnest Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–11 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hawksnest Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Hawksnest Lake?
- Public access to Hawksnest 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 Hawksnest Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA4 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder