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LakeQuality
B

Owasso Lake

Ramsey County, MinnesotaMesotrophic

Owasso Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI near 50 places Owasso Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. The lake bottoms out at 37 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Owasso Lake covers 375 acres alongside 5.7 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Among the 49 graded lakes in Ramsey County, Owasso Lake ranks 11 — in the top quartile locally.

Owasso Lake is on the Minnesota infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. Muskie are on the species list at Owasso Lake, alongside the lake's 15 other documented fish. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. Ice-out has been logged at Owasso Lake more than two dozen times, putting the median around Apr 5 — a useful baseline for tracking climate trends. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-29. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Swimming Safety

Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels

Water Quality Grade: B, Good

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. Phosphorus level: 26 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 50.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)7.5 ftC
Phosphorus26 µg/LB
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)50Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth37 ft
Average Depth11.2 ft
Surface Area374.96 acres
Shoreline Length5.7 mi
Littoral Zone78%
Public AccessYes

Fish Species

Click a species to see all Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes where it is found.

→ Best fishing times for Owasso Lake (14-day solunar calendar)

→ Is it safe to eat fish from Owasso Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)

Owasso Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

Invasive Species

Eurasian watermilfoilzebra mussel

Water Quality Trend: Improving

Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Stable+0.031 m/yr5
Phosphorus Improving-0.7 µg/L/yr5

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (78 observations).

Typical Ice-Out
Apr 5
Typical Ice-In
Nov 27

Estimated open water season: 236 days

EarliestLatest
Ice-Out2017-03-08 (2017)1965-04-29 (1965)
Ice-In2002-11-02 (2002)2006-12-05 (2006)

Most recent ice-out: 2021-03-23

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #11 of 49 lakes in Ramsey County

Nearby Lakes in Ramsey County

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

14 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-06-13 (Targeted Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Bluegill77.840.09 lb
Bluntnose Minnow17.56
Largemouth Bass12.320.9 lb
Black Bullhead9.850.47 lb
Green Sunfish9.750.11 lb
Spottail Shiner9.65

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

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

29 fish · 36 in · 2024-06-13
11603456

Largemouth Bass

5 fish · 1012 in · 2024-06-13
210101112

Black Bullhead

2 fish · 1112 in · 2021-07-26
101112

Green Sunfish

1 fish · 77 in · 2018-06-22
107

From the 2024-06-13 survey

Lake Owasso is a eutrophic, class 24 lake located in Ramsey County. The lake has a maximum depth of 37 feet and is 375 acres in surface area, with 293 littoral acres (78%). The primary management species in Lake Owasso are Walleye and Muskellunge, and the secondary management species is Largemouth Bass. Eurasian…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Owasso Lake. 3 reports on file.

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder

Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate

Most recent sample: 2024-09-29

Monitoring stations: 1