Mow Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota106 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Mow Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 34 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Mow Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 106.24 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 6, 2005 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Mow Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 19–24 inches. DNR survey details →
Mow Lake is a 106-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 34 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in Hubbard County, Mow Lake ranks #9 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-10-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Mow Lake covers about 110 acres in Hubbard County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Mow Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Mow Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing11 species recorded
- Deep water34 ft surveyed max depth
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 Mow 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 Mow Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Mow 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 14.5 ft. Phosphorus 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.1 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.1µg/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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Mow Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Mow Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 71°F) and coldest in May (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 (71°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 53 field readings (2011–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Mow Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 6, 2005 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Mow Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 19–24 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mow Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. 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: 2005-06-06 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2005-06-06 (Standard Survey)
21 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 28.87 | 3–8 in 2005-06-06 | 0.15 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 7.72 | 3–8 in 2005-06-06 | 0.21 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 6.33 | 6–12 in 2005-06-06 | 0.52 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.27 | 12–28 in 2005-06-06 | 1.47 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 2.36 | 5–9 in 2005-06-06 | 0.15 lb |
| Walleye | 1.78 | 19–24 in 2005-06-06 | 3.22 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
Pumpkinseed
Yellow Bullhead
Northern Pike
From the 2005-06-06 survey
Mow Lake is located in Hubbard County, ten miles south of Akeley. Mow Lake has a surface area of 100 acres and a maximum depth of 34 feet. A carry-in public access is located on the south shore of the lake. Mow Lake provides fishing opportunities for northern pike, largemouth bass, panfish, and an occasional…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mow Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MowFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Mow (1261)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — MowPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
34 ft
Surface area
106 acres
Shoreline
2.3 mi
Littoral zone
56%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
6 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,401 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Mow Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Mow 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 Mow Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Mow Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Mow Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Nearby Lakes in Hubbard County
Frequently asked questions about Mow Lake
Where is Mow Lake?
- Mow 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 Mow Lake?
- Mow Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 106.24 acres.
Is Mow 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 Mow Lake?
- Mow Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September, from 53 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Mow Lake?
- Mow Lake has a maximum depth of 34 feet. The lake covers 106.24 acres.
What fish are in Mow Lake?
- Fish species found in Mow Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Mow Lake is located in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Mow Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 6, 2005 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Mow Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 19–24 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mow Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Mow Lake?
- Public access to Mow 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 Mow Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
34 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA34 samples · 2020–2022
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