Mud Lake
Becker County, Minnesota1,178 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Mud Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- zebra mussel
- 34 ft max depth
- Public access
Mud Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 1177.84 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 2021 caught 3.89 walleye per gill net at Mud Lake. DNR survey details →
Mud Lake is a 1,178-acre mesotrophic lake in Becker County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 34 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 83 other monitored lakes in Becker County, Mud Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Mud Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing16 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 24
- Deep water34 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,178 acres
Mud Lake Water Quality Summary (2026)
A printable one-page summary for Mud Lake: clarity, phosphorus, algae, multi-year trend, depth, and fish — with sources.
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. Mud Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Mud 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 Mud Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Mud 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 12.5 ft. Phosphorus 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.9 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 22µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.9µg/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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Mud Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Jul 6, 2026, 4:30 AM from gauge 05049900 (Mud Lake North of 670th Street Near Wheaton, MN). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
Water Temperature
Mud Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 67°F) and coldest in Apr (about 48°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (48°F) to its warmest (67°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 839 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Mud Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Mud Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was low (14,060 cells/mL) on April 18, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 2021 caught 3.89 walleye per gill net at Mud Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mud 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
12 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-06-21 (Standard Survey).
12 surveys on file · most recent 2021-06-21 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 82.96 | ||
| Fathead Minnow | 66.65 | ||
| Bluegill | 27.16 | 2–9 in 2021-06-21 | 0.2 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
From the 2021-06-21 survey
Floyd (a.k.a., Big Floyd) Lake is a 1,212-acre lake located in Becker County two miles north of the city of Detroit Lakes. Floyd Lake's shoreline is heavily developed, and the lake receives a high amount of angling pressure and recreational use. Floyd Lake consists of two basins, the shallow larger main basin and the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mud Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — FloydFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — FloydFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — FloydPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
34 ft
Surface area
1,178 acres
Shoreline
9.7 mi
Littoral zone
73%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Mud Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Mud Lake in Becker 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 Mud Lake
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Follow Mud Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Mud 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 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.87 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.07 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 24
Earliest Mar 24, 2012 · Latest May 12, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 24
Earliest Nov 7, 2019 · Latest Dec 5, 2009
Most recent ice-out
Apr 7
2025
33 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Mud 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 MN03-0387-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Becker County
Frequently asked questions about Mud Lake
Where is Mud Lake?
- Mud Lake is a lake in Becker County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Mud Lake?
- Mud Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 34 ft. Surface area: 1177.84 acres.
Is Mud Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Mud 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 Mud Lake?
- Mud Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October, from 839 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Mud Lake?
- Mud Lake has a maximum depth of 34 feet. The lake covers 1177.84 acres.
What fish are in Mud Lake?
- Fish species found in Mud Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Mud Lake is located in Becker County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Mud Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 2021 caught 3.89 walleye per gill net at Mud Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mud 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.
When does Mud Lake thaw?
- Mud Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24. Ice typically forms around Nov 24. The open water season is approximately 214 days.
What is the water level at Mud Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Mud Lake is 972.78 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Jul 6, 2026, 4:30 AM at gauge 05049900. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Does Mud Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Mud Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was low (14,060 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Mud Lake?
- Public access to Mud 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 Mud Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Becker County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Top lakes and where to stay in the Detroit Lakes Area area
Top lakes and where to stay in the Park Rapids Area area
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Red River of the North Watershed, ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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State Parks Near Mud Lake
Other Lakes in Minnesota
Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Compare Mud Lake With Nearby Lakes
Where this data comes from
210 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
MNPCA210 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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate