Mud Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota76 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Mud Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 28 ft max depth
- Limited data
Mud Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 28 ft. Surface area: 76.22 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 1999 caught 5.00 northern pike per gill net at Mud Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–34 inches. DNR survey details →
Mud Lake is a 76-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 28 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Mud Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing11 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. 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.
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Mud Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 1999 caught 5.00 northern pike per gill net at Mud Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–34 inches.
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
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1999-06-24 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 1999-06-24 (Standard Survey)
27 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 27.15 | 1–7 in 1999-06-24 | 0.16 lb |
| Black Crappie | 11.83 | 1–9 in 1999-06-24 | 0.17 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 9.97 | 9–12 in 1999-06-24 | 0.61 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 6.29 | 9–13 in 1999-06-24 | 0.7 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 3.46 | 10 in 1999-06-24 | 0.65 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.32 | 15–34 in 1999-06-24 | 1.79 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 Crappie
Yellow Bullhead
Brown Bullhead
From the 1999-06-24 survey
Mud lake is an 84 acre lake located 5 miles southeast of Emily. Maximum depth is 28 feet with 42% less than 15 feet deep. Water clarity is limited due to bog stain. The shoreline is a mixed forest with numerous red pine present on sandy soil. Development is light with a total of 11 cottages and homes present. Bottom…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mud Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MudFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
28 ft
Surface area
76 acres
Shoreline
1.6 mi
Littoral zone
55%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
89 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,211 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Mud Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Mud Lake in Crow Wing 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
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Mud Lake
Where is Mud Lake?
- Mud 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 Mud Lake?
- Mud Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 28 ft. Surface area: 76.22 acres.
Is Mud Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Mud Lake?
- Mud Lake has a maximum depth of 28 feet. The lake covers 76.22 acres.
What fish are in Mud Lake?
- Fish species found in Mud Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Mud Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Mud Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 1999 caught 5.00 northern pike per gill net at Mud Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–34 inches. 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.
Can I fish at Mud Lake?
- Public access to Mud Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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
13 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA13 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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