Lower Hay Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota700 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Lower Hay Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- zebra mussel
- 100 ft max depth
- Public access
Lower Hay Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 100 ft. Surface area: 700.21 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 3, 2024 caught 2.83 walleye per gill net at Lower Hay Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–11 inches. DNR survey details →
Lower Hay Lake is a 700-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 100 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 21 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Lower Hay Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lower Hay Lake covers about 700 acres in Crow Wing County. The median ice-out date is April 20, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Lower Hay Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Lower Hay Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water18.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing21 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 20
- Deep water100 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lower Hay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lower Hay 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 Hay Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Lower Hay 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 18.5 ft down. Phosphorus 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.7 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 18.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Lower Hay Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lower Hay Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 63°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 64°F) and coldest in May (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (53°F) to its warmest (64°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 330 field readings (2017–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lower Hay Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Lower Hay Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was low (7,447 cells/mL) on November 29, 2025.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 3, 2024 caught 2.83 walleye per gill net at Lower Hay Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–11 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lower Hay Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
25 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-09-17 (Targeted Survey).
25 surveys on file · most recent 2025-09-17 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 29.74 | 2–8 in 2024-06-03 | 0.14 lb |
| Walleye | 16.50 | 5–11 in 2024-09-16 | 1.35 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 15.56 | 4–12 in 2024-06-03 | 0.14 lb |
| Rock Bass | 8.23 | 4–11 in 2024-06-03 | 0.44 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.
Bluegill
Walleye
Yellow Perch
Rock Bass
From the 2025-09-17 survey
The current management plan calls for 5 million Walleye fry to be stocked annually into Whitefish which is connected to Lower Hay by a wide channel. In even numbered years Whitefish is also stocked with 2,714 lbs. of fingerlings; some of this stocking takes place at the Lower Hay access. Night electrofishing was…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Lower Hay 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 HayFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Lower Hay (0014)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Lower HayPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
100 ft
Surface area
700 acres
Shoreline
4.4 mi
Littoral zone
31%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lower Hay Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lower Hay Lake in Crow Wing 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 Hay Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Lower Hay Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.56 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.17 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 20
Earliest Apr 7, 2021 · Latest May 25, 1989
Typical ice-in
Dec 4
Earliest Nov 3, 1983 · Latest Jan 9, 2024
Most recent ice-out
Apr 9
2024
114 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Lower Hay 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 MN18-0378-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Lower Hay Lake
Where is Lower Hay Lake?
- Lower Hay 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 Lower Hay Lake?
- Lower Hay Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 100 ft. Surface area: 700.21 acres.
Is Lower Hay Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lower Hay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Lower Hay Lake?
- Lower Hay Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October, from 330 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Lower Hay Lake?
- Lower Hay Lake has a maximum depth of 100 feet. The lake covers 700.21 acres.
What fish are in Lower Hay Lake?
- Fish species found in Lower Hay Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, greater redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Lower Hay Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Lower Hay Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 3, 2024 caught 2.83 walleye per gill net at Lower Hay Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–11 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lower Hay Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Lower Hay Lake thaw?
- Lower Hay Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 20. Ice typically forms around Dec 4. The open water season is approximately 228 days.
Does Lower Hay Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Lower Hay Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was low (7,447 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Lower Hay Lake?
- Public access to Lower Hay 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 Lower Hay Lake across LakeQuality
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Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
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Where this data comes from
275 measurements from 5 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
MNPCA275 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (5)
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate