Kings Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota204 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Kings Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 44 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Kings Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 45 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 44 ft. Surface area: 203.86 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 25, 2025 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Kings Lake. DNR survey details →
Kings Lake is a 204-acre lake in Stearns County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 44 feet (23-foot average). The lake supports 15 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-07-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Kings Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 12
- Deep water44 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Kings 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 Kings Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Kings Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.4 ft. Phosphorus 45 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 31.4 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 45µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 31.4µg/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. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Kings Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Kings Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 66°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 70°F) and coldest in May (about 51°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (51°F) to its warmest (70°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 125 field readings (2019–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Kings Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 25, 2025 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Kings Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Kings Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. 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: 2025-08-25 (Targeted Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-25 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 30.85 | 2–7 in 2025-08-25 | 0.13 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 13.85 | 6–7 in 2025-08-25 | 0.1 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 9.36 |
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
Yellow Perch
From the 2025-08-25 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Kings was conducted on August 25-August 27, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment Program (LBMA) staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Kings Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — KingsFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Kings (0278)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — KingsFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — KingsPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
44 ft
Average depth
23.4 ft
Surface area
204 acres
Shoreline
3.1 mi
Littoral zone
23%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,198 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Kings Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Kings Lake
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Follow Kings Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Kings Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 12
Earliest Mar 30, 1998 · Latest Apr 26, 1990
Typical ice-in
Nov 30
Earliest Oct 30, 1994 · Latest Dec 25, 2002
Most recent ice-out
Apr 24
2008
41 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Stearns County
Frequently asked questions about Kings Lake
Where is Kings Lake?
- Kings Lake is a lake in Stearns County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Kings Lake?
- Kings Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 45 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 44 ft. Surface area: 203.86 acres.
Is Kings 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 Kings Lake?
- Kings Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September, from 125 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2019–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Kings Lake?
- Kings Lake has a maximum depth of 44 feet and an average depth of 23.4 feet. The lake covers 203.86 acres.
What fish are in Kings Lake?
- Fish species found in Kings Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Kings Lake is located in Stearns County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Kings Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 25, 2025 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Kings Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Kings Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Kings Lake thaw?
- Kings Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 12. Ice typically forms around Nov 30. The open water season is approximately 232 days.
Can I fish at Kings Lake?
- Public access to Kings Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Kings Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
85 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA85 samples · 2020–2025
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 (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