Pepin Lake
Pepin County, Minnesota12,299 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Pepin Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 4 aquatic invasives
- 60 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Pepin Lake in Pepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 60 ft. Surface area: 12299.45 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 11, 2024 caught 4.00 walleye per gill net at Pepin Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–28 inches. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Pepin Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 50 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Pepin Lake is a 12,299-acre lake in Pepin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 60 feet (21-foot average). The lake supports 47 documented fish species including American eel, bigmouth buffalo, and black bullhead. Public access is available with 9 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Pepin Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch9 documented ramps
- Fishing47 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 29
- Deep water60 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water12,299 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pepin 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 Pepin Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Pepin Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3ft | 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. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Pepin Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 11, 2024 caught 4.00 walleye per gill net at Pepin Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–28 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pepin Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
26 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-07-11 (Standard Survey).
26 surveys on file · most recent 2024-07-11 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshwater Drum | 31.25 | 1–26 in 2024-07-11 | 0.31 lb |
| Walleye | 21.98 | 3–28 in 2024-07-11 | 1.51 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 20.33 | 1–20 in 2024-07-11 | 1.02 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.
Freshwater Drum
Walleye
Smallmouth Bass
From the 2024-07-11 survey
Angling Forecast Anglers in 2021-2023 experienced "low" summer and fall water levels not seen since the late 1980s. These levels presented challenges to anglers whose experience on Pool 4 only took place during the last decade or so when "high water" has been the norm, but strong populations of multiple gamefish…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pepin Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PepinFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — PepinPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
60 ft
Average depth
21 ft
Surface area
12,299 acres
Shoreline
54.9 mi
Littoral zone
66%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Chippewa River Tiffany Wildlife AreaPublic
- SportsmansPublic
- Deer IslandPublic
- Maiden Rock ParkPublic
- Dark SloughPublic
- Ohuta Municipal ParkPublic
Showing 6 of 9 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Pepin Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Pepin Lake in Pepin 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 Pepin Lake
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Pepin Lake → · more Minnesota lake trips
Follow Pepin Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Pepin Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 29
Earliest Feb 29, 2000 · Latest May 20, 1843
Typical ice-in
Dec 8
Earliest Nov 2, 1882 · Latest Dec 30, 1890
Most recent ice-out
Mar 29
2026
164 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Pepin Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger.
- Lake City WwtpLake City · 2.6 mi away · NPDES MN0020664Major
- Federal-Mogul Powertrain LlcLake City · 2.7 mi away · NPDES MN0001147
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Pepin County
Frequently asked questions about Pepin Lake
Where is Pepin Lake?
- Pepin Lake is a lake in Pepin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pepin Lake?
- Pepin Lake in Pepin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 60 ft. Surface area: 12299.45 acres.
Is Pepin Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Pepin Lake?
- Pepin Lake has a maximum depth of 60 feet and an average depth of 21 feet. The lake covers 12299.45 acres.
What fish are in Pepin Lake?
- Fish species found in Pepin Lake include American eel, bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), burbot, carpsucker, channel catfish, common carp, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, gizzard shad, golden redhorse, goldeye, greater redhorse, green sunfish, highfin carpsucker, hybrid crappie, hybrid sunfish, lake sturgeon, largemouth bass, longnose gar, mooneye, northern hog sucker, northern pike, pumpkinseed, quillback, redhorse, river carpsucker, river redhorse, rock bass, sauger, shorthead redhorse, shortnose gar, shovelnose sturgeon, silver redhorse, smallmouth bass, smallmouth buffalo, spotted sucker, walleye, walleye/sauger, white bass, white crappie, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Pepin Lake is located in Pepin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Pepin Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 11, 2024 caught 4.00 walleye per gill net at Pepin Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–28 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pepin Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Pepin Lake thaw?
- Pepin Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 29. Ice typically forms around Dec 8. The open water season is approximately 254 days.
Are there boat ramps on Pepin Lake?
- Pepin Lake has 9 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Chippewa River Tiffany Wildlife Area, Sportsmans, Deer Island, Maiden Rock Park, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Pepin Lake?
- Pepin Lake has 9 documented boat landings 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 Pepin Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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State Parks Near Pepin Lake
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Where this data comes from
97 measurements from 5 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA97 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (5)
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate