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B

Little Floyd Lake

Becker County, MinnesotaMesotrophic

Little Floyd Lake carries a solid B grade — strong on most parameters, with measurements that hold up well across the summer season. The two scored sub-grades — clarity and phosphorus — track close together, so neither one is dragging the average down.

A TSI near 45 places Little Floyd Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. Little Floyd Lake reaches 34 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 215 acres, Little Floyd Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 2.2 miles of shoreline. Little Floyd Lake sits at rank 50 of 93 in Becker County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Zebra mussel presence at Little Floyd Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. Walleye are documented at Little Floyd Lake, one of 16 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Little Floyd Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been recorded 6 times at Little Floyd Lake, with a median around Apr 17. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-29. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

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Swimming Safety

Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels

Water Quality Grade: B, Good

Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft. Phosphorus level: 21 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 45.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)11 ftB
Phosphorus21 µg/LB
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)45Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth34 ft
Surface Area215.39 acres
Shoreline Length2.2 mi
Littoral Zone44%
Public AccessYes

Fish Species

black bullhead,black crappie,bluegill,bowfin (dogfish),brown bullhead,green sunfish,hybrid sunfish,largemouth bass,northern pike,pumpkinseed,rock bass,tullibee (cisco),walleye,white sucker,yellow bullhead,yellow perch

Click a species to see all Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes where it is found.

→ Best fishing times for Little Floyd Lake (14-day solunar calendar)

→ Is it safe to eat fish from Little Floyd Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)

Little Floyd Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

Invasive & Introduced Species

Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.

zebra mussel

Water Quality Trend: Declining

Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Stable-0.056 m/yr5
Phosphorus Declining+0.95 µg/L/yr5
See year-by-year chart →

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (9 observations).

Typical Ice-Out
Apr 17
Typical Ice-In
Nov 28

Estimated open water season: 225 days

EarliestLatest
Ice-Out2010-04-01 (2010)2022-05-05 (2022)
Ice-In2022-11-20 (2022)2024-11-28 (2024)

Most recent ice-out: 2025-04-06

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #50 of 93 lakes in Becker County

Cleaner Lakes Within 30 Miles

Little Floyd Lake holds Grade B. 2 nearby lakes hold higher grades.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in Becker County

State Parks Near Little Floyd Lake

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-06-14 (Standard Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
BNS61.89
BKF43.44
Hybrid Sunfish24.530.28 lb
Bluegill24.110.19 lb
Yellow Bass16.980.58 lb
Spottail Shiner16.31

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

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.

Hybrid Sunfish

79 fish · 38 in · 2021-06-14
30150345678

Bluegill

247 fish · 39 in · 2021-06-14
57290trophy 103456789

Yellow Bass

55 fish · 613 in · 2021-06-14
1580678910111213

From the 2021-06-14 survey

Little Floyd Lake is a 215-acre lake located in southwestern Becker County just north of the city of Detroit Lakes. The lake possesses a heavily developed shoreline and receives heavy recreational use and fishing pressure from the surrounding area. Zebra mussels were discovered in Big Floyd Lake, upstream of Little…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Floyd Lake. 4 reports on file.

EPA Impairment Status

Little Floyd Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN03-0386-00 · Official waterbody report

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder

Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate

Most recent sample: 2024-09-29

Monitoring stations: 1