Howard Lake
Cass County, Minnesota386 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Howard Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 60 ft max depth
- Limited data
Howard Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 60 ft. Surface area: 385.58 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 2001 caught 0.89 walleye per gill net at Howard Lake. DNR survey details →
Howard Lake is a 386-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 60 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 103 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Howard Lake ranks #34 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Howard Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16 ft of visibility
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 20
- Deep water60 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Howard 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 Howard Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Howard 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 16 ft down. Phosphorus 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.7 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.7µg/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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Howard Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Howard Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 64°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 68°F) and coldest in May (about 52°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (52°F) to its warmest (68°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 62 field readings (2023–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Howard Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 2001 caught 0.89 walleye per gill net at Howard Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Howard Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2001-07-09 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2001-07-09 (Standard Survey)
25 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 24.76 | 2–7 in 2001-07-09 | 0.13 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 17.49 | 6–14 in 2001-07-09 | 0.52 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 7.57 | 5–11 in 2001-07-09 | 0.37 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.42 | 3–7 in 2001-07-09 | 0.22 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.56 | 12–35 in 2001-07-09 | 2.61 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 2.25 | 5–6 in 2001-07-09 | 0.14 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)
Yellow Bullhead
Pumpkinseed
From the 2001-07-09 survey
Howard Lake is a 365-acre lake with a maximum depth of 60 feet. The lake is located seven miles northeast of Akeley, Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different lake classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Howard Lake is in lake class 25.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Howard Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HowardFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — HowardFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
60 ft
Surface area
386 acres
Shoreline
7 mi
Littoral zone
26%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,348 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
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Stays near Howard Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Howard Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Howard Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2023–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.4 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 20
Earliest Apr 12, 2005 · Latest Apr 19, 2004
Typical ice-in
Nov 30
Earliest Nov 28, 2004 · Latest Dec 6, 2003
Most recent ice-out
Apr 12
2005
7 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Howard Lake
Where is Howard Lake?
- Howard Lake is a lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Howard Lake?
- Howard Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 60 ft. Surface area: 385.58 acres.
Is Howard 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 Howard Lake?
- Howard Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September, from 62 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Howard Lake?
- Howard Lake has a maximum depth of 60 feet. The lake covers 385.58 acres.
What fish are in Howard Lake?
- Fish species found in Howard Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Howard Lake is located in Cass County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Howard Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 2001 caught 0.89 walleye per gill net at Howard Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Howard Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Howard Lake thaw?
- Howard Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 20. Ice typically forms around Nov 30. The open water season is approximately 224 days.
Can I fish at Howard Lake?
- Public access to Howard 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
77 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2023–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA77 samples · 2023–2025
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate