Parent Lake
Lake County, Minnesota451 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Parent Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 50 ft max depth
- Limited data
Parent Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 450.97 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2024 caught 0.44 walleye per gill net at Parent Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 19–22 inches. DNR survey details →
Parent Lake is a 451-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 50 feet. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including cisco species, northern pike, and northern pike (silver phase). No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-07-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Parent Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water18 ft of visibility
- Fishing9 species recorded
- Deep water50 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Parent Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Parent 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 Parent Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Parent 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 18 ft down. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 18ft | 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. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Parent Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Parent Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 58°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 58°F) and coldest in May (about 41°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (41°F) to its warmest (58°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 55 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Parent Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2024 caught 0.44 walleye per gill net at Parent Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 19–22 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Parent Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
11 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-30 (Targeted Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-30 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 11.12 | 7–10 in 2024-09-09 | 0.2 lb |
| White Sucker | 5.00 | 7–21 in 2024-09-09 | 2.89 lb |
| Rock Bass | 4.35 | 3–7 in 2024-09-09 | 0.19 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 1.98 | 5–18 in 2024-09-09 | 1.03 lb |
| Walleye | 1.14 | 19–22 in 2024-09-09 | 5.18 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.
Tullibee (Cisco)
White Sucker
Rock Bass
Smallmouth Bass
From the 2025-07-30 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Parent Lake on July 30th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Parent Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ParentFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — ParentFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
50 ft
Surface area
451 acres
Shoreline
4.7 mi
Littoral zone
20%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
11 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,440 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Parent Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Parent Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Parent Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Parent 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 MN38-0526-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Parent Lake
Where is Parent Lake?
- Parent Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Parent Lake?
- Parent Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 450.97 acres.
Is Parent Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Parent 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 Parent Lake?
- Parent Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in September, from 55 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Parent Lake?
- Parent Lake has a maximum depth of 50 feet. The lake covers 450.97 acres.
What fish are in Parent Lake?
- Fish species found in Parent Lake include cisco species, northern pike, northern pike (silver phase), rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Parent Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Parent Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2024 caught 0.44 walleye per gill net at Parent Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 19–22 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Parent Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Parent Lake?
- Public access to Parent 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.
Explore Parent Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA2 samples · 2021–2025
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder