Midge Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota546 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Midge Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 24 ft max depth
- Public access
Midge Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 545.74 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 28, 2021 caught 19.26 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Midge Lake. DNR survey details →
Midge Lake is a 546-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 24 feet. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and hybrid sunfish. Public access is available. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in Hubbard County, Midge Lake ranks #28 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Midge Lake covers about 550 acres in Hubbard County. The median ice-out date is April 17, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Midge Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Midge Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water18 ft of visibility
- Fishing11 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 17
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. Midge Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Midge 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 Midge Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Midge 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 ft down. Phosphorus 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.5 µg/L. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 18ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 16µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.5µg/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. | 40 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Midge Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Midge Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 62°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (62°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 77 field readings (2019–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Midge Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 28, 2021 caught 19.26 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Midge Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Midge 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
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-06-28 (Targeted Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2021-06-28 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 62.32 | 10 in 2000-06-26 | 0.4 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 54.80 | ||
| Bluegill | 31.70 | 3–9 in 2021-06-21 | 0.2 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 25.37 | 6 in 2021-06-21 | 0.18 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 13.77 | ||
| Northern Pike | 10.89 | 13–33 in 2021-06-21 | 2.82 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.
Black Bullhead
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
Northern Pike
From the 2021-06-28 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Midge Lake was conducted June 30 - July 1, 2021 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Midge Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MidgeFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Midge (1257)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — MidgeFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — MidgePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
24 ft
Surface area
546 acres
Shoreline
3.6 mi
Littoral zone
91%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
15 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,312 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Midge Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Midge Lake in Hubbard 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 Midge 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 Midge Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.7 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 17
Earliest Mar 17, 2024 · Latest May 6, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 13
Earliest Oct 24, 1968 · Latest Nov 26, 2024
Most recent ice-out
Apr 20
2025
75 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Midge 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: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN29-0066-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hubbard County
Frequently asked questions about Midge Lake
Where is Midge Lake?
- Midge Lake is a lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Midge Lake?
- Midge Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 545.74 acres.
Is Midge Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Midge Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Midge Lake?
- Midge Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September, from 77 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2019–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Midge Lake?
- Midge Lake has a maximum depth of 24 feet. The lake covers 545.74 acres.
What fish are in Midge Lake?
- Fish species found in Midge Lake include black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Midge Lake is located in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Midge Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 28, 2021 caught 19.26 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Midge Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Midge 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.
When does Midge Lake thaw?
- Midge Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 17. Ice typically forms around Nov 13. The open water season is approximately 210 days.
Can I fish at Midge Lake?
- Public access to Midge 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 Midge Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
138 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA138 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate