Middle Whipple Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota301 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Middle Whipple Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- 29 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Middle Whipple Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 28.7 ft. Surface area: 301.42 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 27, 2022 caught 14.25 northern pike per gill net at Middle Whipple Lake. DNR survey details →
Middle Whipple Lake is a 301-acre mesotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 29 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 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, Middle Whipple Lake ranks #37 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Middle Whipple Lake covers about 300 acres in Crow Wing County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Middle Whipple Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Middle Whipple Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10 ft of visibility
- Fishing11 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. Middle Whipple Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Middle Whipple 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 Middle Whipple Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Middle Whipple 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 10 ft. Phosphorus 10.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.7 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.7µg/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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Middle Whipple Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 27, 2022 caught 14.25 northern pike per gill net at Middle Whipple Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Middle Whipple 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: 2022-06-27 (Targeted Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2022-06-27 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 41.83 | 2–8 in 2022-06-27 | 0.13 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 22.37 | 7–12 in 2022-06-27 | 0.32 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 17.83 | 8–19 in 2022-06-27 | 1.49 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 9.18 | 5–12 in 2022-06-27 | 0.58 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
Black Bullhead
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Bullhead
From the 2022-06-27 survey
A targeted survey including nearshore, trap net, and gill net sampling was completed during the week of June 27th, 2022 in Whipple Lake by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Nearshore sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Middle Whipple Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WhippleFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Whipple (0200)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WhipplePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
28.7 ft
Surface area
301 acres
Shoreline
6.7 mi
Littoral zone
98%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,188 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Middle Whipple Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Middle Whipple Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Middle Whipple Lake
- → Middle Whipple Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Middle Whipple Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Middle Whipple Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Middle Whipple Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.23 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.03 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Middle Whipple 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: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN18-0387-02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Middle Whipple Lake
Where is Middle Whipple Lake?
- Middle Whipple 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 Middle Whipple Lake?
- Middle Whipple Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 28.7 ft. Surface area: 301.42 acres.
Is Middle Whipple Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Middle Whipple Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Middle Whipple Lake?
- Middle Whipple Lake has a maximum depth of 28.7 feet. The lake covers 301.42 acres.
What fish are in Middle Whipple Lake?
- Fish species found in Middle Whipple Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Middle Whipple Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Middle Whipple Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 27, 2022 caught 14.25 northern pike per gill net at Middle Whipple Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Middle Whipple 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 Middle Whipple Lake?
- Public access to Middle Whipple 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
15 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
MNPCA15 samples · 2020
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 (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