Minnow Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota110 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Minnow Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 24 ft max depth
- Public access
Minnow Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 109.8 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2024 caught 27.50 northern pike per gill net at Minnow Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–25 inches. DNR survey details →
Minnow Lake is a 110-acre mesotrophic lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 24 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 36 other monitored lakes in Clearwater County, Minnow Lake ranks #13 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Minnow Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing7 species recorded
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Minnow 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 Minnow Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Minnow 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 10.5 ft. Phosphorus 14.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.5 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.5µg/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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Minnow Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Minnow Lake typically sits around 62°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 64°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 66°F) and coldest in Jun (about 61°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (61°F) to its warmest (66°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 284 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Minnow Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2024 caught 27.50 northern pike per gill net at Minnow Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Minnow Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. 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: 2024-06-24 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2024-06-24 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 67.24 | 4–7 in 2024-06-24 | 0.3 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 23.28 | 10–13 in 2024-06-24 | 0.42 lb |
| Bluegill | 18.00 | 3–7 in 2014-06-23 | 0.17 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 14.36 | 4–11 in 2024-06-24 | 0.15 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 8.66 | 0.15 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 8.56 | 8–25 in 2024-06-24 | 1.86 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
Brown Bullhead
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
From the 2024-06-24 survey
Minnow Lake is a 110-acre, moderately developed lake located west of Bagley in central Clearwater County. Minnow Lake has a water clarity of 8 feet and a maximum depth of 24 feet. Emergent vegetation is abundant along the shoreline of this productive lake. Minnow Lake is known to occasionally winterkill due to its…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Minnow Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MinnowFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Minnow (1708)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — MinnowFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — MinnowPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
24 ft
Surface area
110 acres
Shoreline
2.6 mi
Littoral zone
80%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,447 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Minnow LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Minnow Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Minnow Lake
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Follow Minnow Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Minnow Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.23 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.55 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Clearwater County
Frequently asked questions about Minnow Lake
Where is Minnow Lake?
- Minnow Lake is a lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Minnow Lake?
- Minnow Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 109.8 acres.
Is Minnow 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 Minnow Lake?
- Minnow Lake typically sits around 62°F at the surface in September, from 284 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Minnow Lake?
- Minnow Lake has a maximum depth of 24 feet. The lake covers 109.8 acres.
What fish are in Minnow Lake?
- Fish species found in Minnow Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch. Minnow Lake is located in Clearwater County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Minnow Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2024 caught 27.50 northern pike per gill net at Minnow Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–25 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Minnow Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Minnow Lake?
- Minnow Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Minnow Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Minnow Lake?
- Minnow Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Minnow Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
88 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
MNPCA88 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory