Mcfarland Lake
Cook County, Minnesota40 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Mcfarland Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- spiny waterflea
- Public access
- Limited data
Mcfarland Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Surface area: 39.53 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 8, 2011 caught 5.67 northern pike per gill net at Mcfarland Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–32 inches. DNR survey details →
Mcfarland Lake is a 40-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including northern pike, smallmouth bass, and white sucker. Public access is available. Compared to the 43 other monitored lakes in Cook County, Mcfarland Lake ranks #25 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Mcfarland Lake covers about 40 acres in Cook County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Mcfarland Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Mcfarland Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17 ft of visibility
- Fishing4 species recorded
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 Mcfarland 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 Mcfarland Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Mcfarland 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 17 ft down. Phosphorus 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.3 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.3µg/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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Mcfarland Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 8, 2011 caught 5.67 northern pike per gill net at Mcfarland Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–32 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mcfarland Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2011-06-08 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2011-06-08 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 7.90 | 5–10 in 2011-06-08 | 0.26 lb |
| White Sucker | 2.76 | 18 in 2011-06-08 | 2.81 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.25 | 8–32 in 2011-06-08 | 1.4 lb |
| Walleye | 2.00 | 14–15 in 2006-06-15 | 0.9 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 1.00 | 13–17 in 2011-06-08 | 1.97 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.
Yellow Perch
White Sucker
Northern Pike
Walleye
From the 2011-06-08 survey
This was the first of two assessments included in the 2008 lake management plan to determine whether long range goals for northern pike and yellow perch in this lake continued to be met. The northern pike gill net catch in 2011 met the long range goal for the species (a minimum of 2.8 fish/set), and was similar to…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mcfarland Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Little JohnFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Little John (1671)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Little JohnPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Surface area
40 acres
Shoreline
1.9 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
The available depth estimate for Mcfarland Lake is shallower than its measured water clarity, which cannot be right, so no depth is shown.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Mcfarland Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Mcfarland Lake in Cook 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 Mcfarland Lake
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Follow Mcfarland Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Mcfarland 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: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Mcfarland Lake
Where is Mcfarland Lake?
- Mcfarland Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Mcfarland Lake?
- Mcfarland Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Surface area: 39.53 acres.
Is Mcfarland Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Mcfarland Lake?
- The available depth estimate for Mcfarland Lake is shallower than its measured water clarity, which cannot be right, so no depth is shown. The lake covers 39.53 acres.
What fish are in Mcfarland Lake?
- Fish species found in Mcfarland Lake include northern pike, smallmouth bass, white sucker, yellow perch. Mcfarland Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Mcfarland Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 8, 2011 caught 5.67 northern pike per gill net at Mcfarland Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–32 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mcfarland Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Mcfarland Lake?
- Public access to Mcfarland 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 Mcfarland Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
80 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA80 samples · 2021–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder