Ox Yoke Lake
Cass County, Minnesota185 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ox Yoke Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ox Yoke Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 185.33 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 23, 2022 caught 9.67 northern pike per gill net at Ox Yoke Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–34 inches. DNR survey details →
Ox Yoke Lake is a 185-acre lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 42 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Ox Yoke Lake covers about 190 acres in Cass County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 17, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Ox Yoke Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Ox Yoke Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 17
- Deep water42 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ox Yoke 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 Ox Yoke Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Ox Yoke Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 17.5 ft down. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.5ft | 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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Ox Yoke Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Ox Yoke Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in May (about 60°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (60°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 38 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ox Yoke Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 23, 2022 caught 9.67 northern pike per gill net at Ox Yoke Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–34 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ox Yoke Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-08-23 (Standard Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2022-08-23 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 22.14 | 2–7 in 2022-08-23 | 0.15 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 9.19 | 5–11 in 2022-08-23 | 0.34 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 8.71 | 6–15 in 2022-08-23 | 0.85 lb |
| Black Crappie | 4.55 | 4–11 in 2022-08-23 | 0.37 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.40 | 9–34 in 2022-08-23 | 1.73 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.73 | 3–8 in 2022-08-23 | 0.15 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
Yellow Bullhead
Largemouth Bass
Black Crappie
From the 2022-08-23 survey
Ox Yoke Lake is a 187-acre lake with 2.87 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 42 feet located north of Backus, MN. A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources owned public access is located on the south shore. The MNDNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ox Yoke Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Ox YokeFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Ox Yoke (1144)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Ox YokePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
42 ft
Surface area
185 acres
Shoreline
2.9 mi
Littoral zone
47%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
6 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,329 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Ox Yoke 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 Ox Yoke Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ox Yoke Lake in Cass 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 Ox Yoke Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Ox Yoke Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 17
Earliest Mar 19, 2024 · Latest May 7, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 28
Earliest Nov 9, 2017 · Latest Dec 3, 2001
Most recent ice-out
Apr 17
2025
21 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Ox Yoke Lake
Where is Ox Yoke Lake?
- Ox Yoke Lake is a lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ox Yoke Lake?
- Ox Yoke Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 185.33 acres.
Is Ox Yoke 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 Ox Yoke Lake?
- Ox Yoke Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September, from 38 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Ox Yoke Lake?
- Ox Yoke Lake has a maximum depth of 42 feet. The lake covers 185.33 acres.
What fish are in Ox Yoke Lake?
- Fish species found in Ox Yoke Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Ox Yoke Lake is located in Cass County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ox Yoke Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 23, 2022 caught 9.67 northern pike per gill net at Ox Yoke Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–34 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ox Yoke Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Ox Yoke Lake thaw?
- Ox Yoke Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 17. Ice typically forms around Nov 28. The open water season is approximately 225 days.
Are there boat ramps on Ox Yoke Lake?
- Ox Yoke Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Ox Yoke Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Ox Yoke Lake?
- Ox Yoke 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.
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Where this data comes from
59 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
MNPCA59 samples · 2020–2025
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate