Lower Comstock Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota160 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Lower Comstock Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 30 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lower Comstock Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 159.7 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 23, 2018 caught 2.50 walleye per gill net at Lower Comstock Lake. DNR survey details →
Lower Comstock Lake is a 160-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake supports 13 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 2020-10-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lower Comstock Lake covers about 160 acres in St. Louis County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lower Comstock Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Lower Comstock Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Deep water30 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lower Comstock Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lower Comstock 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 Lower Comstock Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Lower Comstock Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.5ft | 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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lower Comstock Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 23, 2018 caught 2.50 walleye per gill net at Lower Comstock Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lower Comstock Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2018-07-23 (Standard Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2018-07-23 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 5.53 | 10–13 in 2018-07-23 | 1.07 lb |
| Bluegill | 3.67 | 3–9 in 2018-07-23 | 0.25 lb |
| Black Crappie | 3.41 | 4–11 in 2018-07-23 | 0.29 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.25 | 5–9 in 2018-07-23 | 0.12 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.09 | 11–39 in 2018-07-23 | 1.91 lb |
| White Sucker | 1.82 | 12–21 in 2018-07-23 | 3.4 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.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Black Crappie
Yellow Perch
From the 2018-07-23 survey
Lower Comstock is a 160 acre lake located about 6 miles south of Markham, MN. The lake is accessed through a DNR administered public access on Upper Comstock Lake, then navigating up the channel to Lower Comstock Lake. Maximum depth is 30 feet, with about 76% of the lake less than 15 feet deep. Lower Comstock was last…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Lower Comstock Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Lower ComstockFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Lower ComstockFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Lower ComstockPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Surface area
160 acres
Shoreline
3 mi
Littoral zone
76%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
16 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,388 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lower Comstock Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lower Comstock Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Lower Comstock Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Lower Comstock Lake
- → Lower Comstock Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Lower Comstock Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Lower Comstock Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Lower Comstock Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
EPA Impairment Status
Lower Comstock Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN69-0412-02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Lower Comstock Lake
Where is Lower Comstock Lake?
- Lower Comstock Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lower Comstock Lake?
- Lower Comstock Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 159.7 acres.
Is Lower Comstock Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lower Comstock Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lower Comstock Lake?
- Lower Comstock Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake covers 159.7 acres.
What fish are in Lower Comstock Lake?
- Fish species found in Lower Comstock Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, shorthead redhorse, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Lower Comstock Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Lower Comstock Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 23, 2018 caught 2.50 walleye per gill net at Lower Comstock Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lower Comstock Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Lower Comstock Lake?
- Public access to Lower Comstock 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
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA8 samples · 2020
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder