Hendricks Lake
Lincoln County, Minnesota1,522 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Hendricks Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- 9 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Hendricks Lake in Lincoln County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 9 ft. Surface area: 1521.72 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 15.00 walleye per gill net at Hendricks Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Hendricks Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 8 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Hendricks Lake is a 1,522-acre lake in Lincoln County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 9 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 18 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Hendricks Lake covers about 1,500 acres in Lincoln County. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. The median ice-out date is April 5, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Hendricks Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Hendricks Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Fishing18 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 5
- Big water1,522 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hendricks Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hendricks 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 Hendricks Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Hendricks 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 6.5 ft. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.5ft | 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. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Hendricks Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Hendricks Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in May (about 59°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (59°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 72 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Hendricks Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 15.00 walleye per gill net at Hendricks Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hendricks Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
22 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-18 (Targeted Survey).
22 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-18 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Bass | 277.72 | 2–16 in 2025-08-18 | 0.91 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 155.21 | 5–15 in 2025-08-18 | 0.44 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 51.55 | 2–12 in 2025-08-18 | 0.26 lb |
| Fathead Minnow | 30.78 |
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.
White Bass
Black Bullhead
Yellow Perch
From the 2025-08-18 survey
Hendricks Lake is on the Minnesota - South Dakota border and is adjacent to the southwestern Minnesota town of Hendricks. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks comanage the fishery and border waters fishing regulations apply. An aeration system is often…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Hendricks Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HendricksFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — HendricksFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — HendricksPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
9 ft
Surface area
1,522 acres
Shoreline
12.6 mi
Littoral zone
43%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Hendricks Lake (East)Public
- Hendricks Lake (South)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Hendricks Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hendricks Lake in Lincoln 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 Hendricks Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Hendricks Lake → · more Minnesota lake trips
Follow Hendricks Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Hendricks Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-5.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-15.3 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 5
Earliest Feb 25, 2024 · Latest Apr 30, 2018
Typical ice-in
Nov 25
Earliest Nov 9, 2018 · Latest Dec 13, 2017
Most recent ice-out
Mar 15
2025
42 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Hendricks 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: Aquatic life, Fish consumption, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN41-0110-00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Hendricks Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Hendricks WwtpHendricks · 0.5 mi away · NPDES MN0021121
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Lincoln County
Frequently asked questions about Hendricks Lake
Where is Hendricks Lake?
- Hendricks 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 Hendricks Lake?
- Hendricks Lake in Lincoln County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 9 ft. Surface area: 1521.72 acres.
Is Hendricks Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hendricks Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Hendricks Lake?
- Hendricks Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September, from 72 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Hendricks Lake?
- Hendricks Lake has a maximum depth of 9 feet. The lake covers 1521.72 acres.
What fish are in Hendricks Lake?
- Fish species found in Hendricks Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, crappie, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, smallmouth bass, suckers, sunfish, walleye, white bass, white crappie, white sucker, yellow perch. Hendricks Lake is located in Lincoln County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Hendricks Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 15.00 walleye per gill net at Hendricks Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hendricks Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Hendricks Lake thaw?
- Hendricks Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 5. Ice typically forms around Nov 25. The open water season is approximately 234 days.
Are there boat ramps on Hendricks Lake?
- Hendricks Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hendricks Lake (East), Hendricks Lake (South). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Hendricks Lake?
- Hendricks Lake has 2 documented boat landings 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 Hendricks 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 Lincoln County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Minnesota
Other Lakes in Minnesota
Eutrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Where this data comes from
34 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA34 samples · 2020–2025
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate