Henderson Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota75 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Henderson Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 57 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Henderson Lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 57 ft. Surface area: 75.32 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 23, 2025 caught 3.33 walleye per gill net at Henderson Lake. DNR survey details →
Henderson Lake is a 75-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 57 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 24 other monitored lakes in Kandiyohi County, Henderson Lake ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Henderson Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 13
- Deep water57 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Henderson Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Henderson 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 Henderson Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Henderson 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 13.5 ft. Phosphorus 7.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.2 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7.5µg/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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Henderson Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Henderson Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in Sep (about 58°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (58°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 34 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Henderson Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 23, 2025 caught 3.33 walleye per gill net at Henderson Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Henderson 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: 2025-06-23 (Standard Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2025-06-23 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 80.96 | 3–9 in 2025-06-23 | 0.15 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 23.31 | 4–15 in 2025-06-23 | 0.97 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 13.79 | 7 in 2020-07-13 | 0.09 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 10.48 | 5–8 in 2025-06-23 | 0.11 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.52 | 4 in 2025-06-23 | 0.05 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 4.03 | 13 in 2014-07-07 | 0.76 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
Largemouth Bass
Hybrid Sunfish
Yellow Perch
From the 2025-06-23 survey
A standard survey was conducted on Henderson Lake in mid-June of 2025. A spring electrofishing survey was conducted on May 27, 2025, for post spawn Largemouth Bass. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e. spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Henderson Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HendersonFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — HendersonFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — HendersonPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
57 ft
Surface area
75 acres
Shoreline
1.5 mi
Littoral zone
36%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,161 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Henderson LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Henderson Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Henderson Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Henderson 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
Stable+0.23 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.43 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 13
Earliest Mar 18, 2024 · Latest Apr 24, 2008
Typical ice-in
Nov 26
Earliest Nov 19, 2014 · Latest Dec 18, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Mar 18
2024
16 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Henderson 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN34-0116-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Kandiyohi County
Frequently asked questions about Henderson Lake
Where is Henderson Lake?
- Henderson Lake is a lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Henderson Lake?
- Henderson Lake in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 57 ft. Surface area: 75.32 acres.
Is Henderson Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Henderson 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 Henderson Lake?
- Henderson Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in September, from 34 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Henderson Lake?
- Henderson Lake has a maximum depth of 57 feet. The lake covers 75.32 acres.
What fish are in Henderson Lake?
- Fish species found in Henderson Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Henderson Lake is located in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Henderson Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 23, 2025 caught 3.33 walleye per gill net at Henderson Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Henderson 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 Henderson Lake thaw?
- Henderson Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 13. Ice typically forms around Nov 26. The open water season is approximately 227 days.
Are there boat ramps on Henderson Lake?
- Henderson Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Henderson Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Henderson Lake?
- Henderson Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Henderson Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
58 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA58 samples · 2020–2023
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate