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LakeQuality
B

Lobster Lake

Douglas County, MinnesotaMesotrophic

Lobster Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. Lobster Lake is unusually deep for Minnesota at 65 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. Lobster Lake covers 1,334 acres alongside 17.3 miles of shoreline, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Lobster Lake ranks 24 of 51 in Douglas County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Zebra mussel presence at Lobster Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. Lobster Lake's fishery is anchored by muskellunge, with 18 documented species in total — a destination water for muskie anglers. A documented public access point at Lobster Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 12 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 21. 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.

Swimming Safety

Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels

Water Quality Grade: B, Good

Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft. Phosphorus level: 20 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 44.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)13 ftB
Phosphorus20 µg/LB
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)44Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth65 ft
Average Depth15 ft
Surface Area1.3K acres
Shoreline Length17.3 mi
Littoral Zone52%
Public AccessYes

Fish Species

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

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

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

Lobster Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

Invasive Species

zebra mussel

Water Quality Trend: Improving

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

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Stable+0.013 m/yr5
Phosphorus Improving-0.9 µg/L/yr5

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (18 observations).

Typical Ice-Out
Apr 21
Typical Ice-In
Dec 3

Estimated open water season: 226 days

EarliestLatest
Ice-Out2016-03-24 (2016)2018-05-03 (2018)
Ice-In2018-11-13 (2018)2015-12-18 (2015)

Most recent ice-out: 2023-04-29

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #24 of 51 lakes in Douglas County

Nearby Lakes in Douglas County

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

16 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-05-02 (Targeted Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
BKS78.14
Bluntnose Minnow28.41
Bluegill25.260.14 lb
Largemouth Bass16.780.58 lb
BKF11.92
IOD4.92

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.

Bluegill

228 fish · 38 in · 2022-08-08
72360345678

Largemouth Bass

2 fish · 715 in · 2022-08-08
10789101112131415

From the 2023-05-02 survey

A mark-recapture population estimate of Muskies began in spring of 2022 on Lobster Lake using passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags (see 2022 targeted survey). Fish were sampled using both large frame trap nets and electrofishing in 2022. In spring of 2023, fish were recaptured using exclusively electrofishing. A…

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 Lobster Lake. 4 reports on file.

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

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: 5