Knieff Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota44 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Knieff Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Knieff Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 44.33 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 4, 1973 caught 2.50 northern pike per gill net at Knieff Lake. DNR survey details →
Knieff Lake is a 44-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 42 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Knieff Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19 ft of visibility
- Ice seasonIce-out around May 2
- Deep water42 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 Knieff 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 Knieff Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Knieff 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 19 ft down. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 19ft | 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. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Knieff Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Knieff Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in May (about 60°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (60°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 33 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Knieff Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 4, 1973 caught 2.50 northern pike per gill net at Knieff Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Knieff 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
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1973-09-04 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1973-09-04 (Standard Survey)
53 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 48.00 | 0.07 lb | |
| Yellow Bullhead | 12.50 | 0.61 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 2.17 | 0.2 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 1.42 | 2.79 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 1.00 | 0.2 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.
From the 1973-09-04 survey
Bass-Panfish.
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Knieff Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — KnieffFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Knieff (0428)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
42 ft
Surface area
44 acres
Shoreline
1 mi
Littoral zone
42%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Knieff Lake
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Follow Knieff Lake’s readings
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Fishing Knieff Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
May 2
Earliest May 2, 2023 · Latest May 4, 2022
Typical ice-in
Dec 1
Earliest Nov 25, 2022 · Latest Dec 7, 2021
Most recent ice-out
May 2
2023
6 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Knieff Lake
Where is Knieff Lake?
- Knieff 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 Knieff Lake?
- Knieff Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 44.33 acres.
Is Knieff 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 Knieff Lake?
- Knieff Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 33 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Knieff Lake?
- Knieff Lake has a maximum depth of 42 feet. The lake covers 44.33 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Knieff Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 4, 1973 caught 2.50 northern pike per gill net at Knieff Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Knieff 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 Knieff Lake thaw?
- Knieff Lake typically has ice-out around May 2. Ice typically forms around Dec 1. The open water season is approximately 213 days.
Can I fish at Knieff Lake?
- Public access to Knieff 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.
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Where this data comes from
91 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
MNPCA91 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
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate