Maple Lake
Cass County, Minnesota76 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Maple Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 45 ft max depth
- Limited data
Maple Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 76.36 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 6, 1990 caught 17.25 northern pike per gill net at Maple Lake. DNR survey details →
Maple Lake is a 76-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 45 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 103 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Maple Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Maple Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.3 ft of visibility
- Deep water45 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Maple 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 Maple Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Maple Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13.3 ft. Phosphorus 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.2 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 11µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.2µg/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 Maple Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Maple Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 62°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 448 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Maple Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 6, 1990 caught 17.25 northern pike per gill net at Maple Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Maple 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: 1990-06-06 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1990-06-06 (Standard Survey)
36 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Sunfish | 16.88 | 0.41 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 9.56 | 1.97 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 8.56 | 0.32 lb | |
| Bluegill | 4.38 | 0.15 lb | |
| Largemouth Bass | 2.00 | 0.82 lb | |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 1.12 | 0.38 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 1990-06-06 survey
The northern pike gillnet catch of 17.3 is very high when compared to other area lakes. Most of the fish sampled were less than 20 inches long, but fish over 30 inches were collected. The growth rate for northern pike is not fast.There is an abundant green sunfish population in Maple Lake. They range in length from 5…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Maple Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MapleFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
45 ft
Surface area
76 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,355 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Maple Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Maple Lake in Cass 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 Maple Lake
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Follow Maple Lake’s readings
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Fishing Maple Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Maple Lake
Where is Maple Lake?
- Maple Lake is a lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Maple Lake?
- Maple Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 76.36 acres.
Is Maple 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 Maple Lake?
- Maple Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October, from 448 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Maple Lake?
- Maple Lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet. The lake covers 76.36 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Maple Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 6, 1990 caught 17.25 northern pike per gill net at Maple Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Maple 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.
Can I fish at Maple Lake?
- Public access to Maple Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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 Maple Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
83 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
LEECHLAK_WQX47 samples · 2022 - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA36 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrate-Nitrite Nitrogen by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder