Mayo Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota164 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Mayo Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 22 ft max depth
Mayo Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 28 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 22 ft. Surface area: 164.3 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2019 caught 10.00 northern pike per gill net at Mayo Lake. DNR survey details →
Mayo Lake is a 164-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 22 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Mayo Lake ranks #78 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Mayo Lake covers about 160 acres in Crow Wing County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Mayo Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Mayo Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing12 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Mayo Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Mayo 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 Mayo Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Mayo 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 4.8 ft. Phosphorus 28 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.5 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 28µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Mayo Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Mayo Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jun (about 72°F) and coldest in Sep (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 16 field readings (2016–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Mayo Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2019 caught 10.00 northern pike per gill net at Mayo Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mayo 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
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2019-08-05 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2019-08-05 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 25.00 | 2–7 in 2019-08-05 | 0.16 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 12.78 | 11 in 2019-08-05 | 0.54 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 11.49 | 3 in 2019-08-05 | 0.04 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 7.93 | 7–13 in 2019-08-05 | 0.76 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 7.75 |
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
Black Bullhead
Green Sunfish
Yellow Bullhead
From the 2019-08-05 survey
Mayo Lake is a 165 acre lake located two miles southwest of Pequot Lakes in Crow Wing County. The maximum depth is 22', with 95% of the lake 15' or less. Emergent vegetation such as bulrush and water lilies surround much of the lake. Protection of aquatic vegetation, especially emergent vegetation, is important for…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mayo Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MayoFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Mayo (1540)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
22 ft
Surface area
164 acres
Shoreline
3.5 mi
Littoral zone
89%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
55 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,217 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Mayo Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Mayo 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 Mayo Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Mayo Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.89 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.16 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Mayo Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN18-0408-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Mayo Lake
Where is Mayo Lake?
- Mayo 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 Mayo Lake?
- Mayo Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 28 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 22 ft. Surface area: 164.3 acres.
Is Mayo Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Mayo Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Mayo Lake?
- Mayo Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September, from 16 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Mayo Lake?
- Mayo Lake has a maximum depth of 22 feet. The lake covers 164.3 acres.
What fish are in Mayo Lake?
- Fish species found in Mayo Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Mayo Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Mayo Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2019 caught 10.00 northern pike per gill net at Mayo Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mayo 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.
Can I fish at Mayo Lake?
- Public access to Mayo 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.
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Where this data comes from
39 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA39 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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