Hen Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota858 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Hen Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- zebra mussel
- 105 ft max depth
Hen Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 105 ft. Surface area: 857.82 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2024 caught 1.08 walleye per gill net at Hen Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Hen Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 50 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Hen Lake is a 858-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 105 feet. 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. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Hen Lake ranks #67 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Hen Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.1 ft of visibility
- Fishing21 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 19
- Deep water105 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hen 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 Hen Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Hen Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 17.1 ft down. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.4 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.4µg/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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Hen Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Hen Lake typically sits around 49°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 59°F. Usually warmest in Sep (about 67°F) and coldest in Oct (about 49°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (49°F) to its warmest (67°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 184 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Hen Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2024 caught 1.08 walleye per gill net at Hen Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hen 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
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-06-24 (Standard Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2024-06-24 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 27.21 | 2–7 in 2024-06-24 | 0.11 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 17.98 | ||
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 9.98 | 7–16 in 2024-06-24 | 0.56 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
Tullibee (Cisco)
From the 2024-06-24 survey
Rush-Hen Lake is 858 acres and is a part of the 14,000-acre Whitefish Chain of Lakes in northern Crow Wing County. The maximum depth is 105 feet and 58% of Rush-Hen is 15 feet deep or less. There is no public access on Rush-Hen Lake however, it can be accessed via a channel from either Cross Lake or Lower Whitefish…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Hen Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RushFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
105 ft
Surface area
858 acres
Shoreline
14.8 mi
Littoral zone
58%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Hen Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hen Lake in Crow Wing 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 Hen Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Hen 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
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.54 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.13 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 19
Earliest Apr 5, 2016 · Latest May 13, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 29
Earliest Nov 29, 2006 · Latest Dec 1, 2007
Most recent ice-out
Apr 20
2020
11 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Hen Lake
Where is Hen Lake?
- Hen 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 Hen Lake?
- Hen Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 105 ft. Surface area: 857.82 acres.
Is Hen Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Hen Lake?
- Hen Lake typically sits around 49°F at the surface in October, from 184 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Hen Lake?
- Hen Lake has a maximum depth of 105 feet. The lake covers 857.82 acres.
What fish are in Hen Lake?
- Fish species found in Hen Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, burbot, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Hen Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Hen Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2024 caught 1.08 walleye per gill net at Hen Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hen 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 Hen Lake thaw?
- Hen Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 19. Ice typically forms around Nov 29. The open water season is approximately 224 days.
Can I fish at Hen Lake?
- Public access to Hen 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 Hen Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
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Where this data comes from
30 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA30 samples · 2024–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate