Nokay Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota704 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Nokay Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Nokay Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 703.56 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 29, 2020 caught 1.17 walleye per gill net at Nokay Lake. DNR survey details →
Nokay Lake is a 704-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 42 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Nokay Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 16
- Deep water42 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Nokay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Nokay 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 Nokay Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Nokay Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.2 ft. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.2ft | 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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Nokay Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Nokay Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 72°F) and coldest in May (about 59°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (59°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 58 field readings (2016–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Nokay Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 29, 2020 caught 1.17 walleye per gill net at Nokay Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Nokay Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is improving. 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: 2020-06-29 (Targeted Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2020-06-29 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 50.86 | ||
| Bluegill | 20.41 | 3–9 in 2020-06-29 | 0.15 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 17.95 | 7–16 in 2020-06-29 | 0.96 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
Largemouth Bass
From the 2020-06-29 survey
Nokay Lake is a 660 acre lake located 10 miles east of Brainerd in Crow Wing County. A small public access is located on the west side of the lake. Nokay reaches depths of 42 feet, with 33% of the lake 15' deep or less. The shoreline is moderately developed with one resort present. Extensive bulrush beds are located…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Nokay Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — NokayFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Nokay (0031)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — NokayFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — NokayPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
42 ft
Surface area
704 acres
Shoreline
6.3 mi
Littoral zone
31%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
63 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,211 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Nokay LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Nokay Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Nokay 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 Nokay Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Nokay Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 16
Earliest Mar 14, 2024 · Latest Apr 30, 2008
Typical ice-in
Nov 24
Earliest Nov 19, 2017 · Latest Dec 18, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Apr 13
2025
20 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Nokay Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Nokay Lake (completed 1966), built primarily for recreation on the Nokasippi River; earth-type dam, 8 ft tall and 32 ft long.
- Surface area
- 697 ac
- Normal storage
- 30 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 120 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 24.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00735 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Nokay 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 MN18-0104-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Nokay Lake
Where is Nokay Lake?
- Nokay 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 Nokay Lake?
- Nokay Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 703.56 acres.
Is Nokay Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Nokay 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 Nokay Lake?
- Nokay Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September, from 58 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Nokay Lake?
- Nokay Lake has a maximum depth of 42 feet. The lake covers 703.56 acres.
What fish are in Nokay Lake?
- Fish species found in Nokay Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Nokay Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Nokay Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 29, 2020 caught 1.17 walleye per gill net at Nokay Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Nokay Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Nokay Lake thaw?
- Nokay Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 16. Ice typically forms around Nov 24. The open water season is approximately 222 days.
Are there boat ramps on Nokay Lake?
- Nokay Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Nokay Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Nokay Lake?
- Nokay 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 Nokay Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
35 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
MNPCA35 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate