Perch Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota266 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Perch Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 40 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Perch Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 265.91 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 7, 2021 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Perch Lake. DNR survey details →
Perch Lake is a 266-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 40 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Perch Lake covers about 270 acres in Crow Wing County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 14, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Perch Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Perch Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water15.3 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 14
- Deep water40 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Perch Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Perch 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 Perch Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Perch 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 15.3 ft down. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 15.3ft | 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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Perch Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Perch Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (63°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 11 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Perch Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 7, 2021 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Perch Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Perch Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-06-07 (Standard Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2021-06-07 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 27.30 | 3–8 in 2021-06-07 | 0.19 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 12.86 | 6–18 in 2021-06-07 | 0.94 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 10.15 | 4–7 in 2021-06-07 | 0.19 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 9.00 | 5–13 in 2021-06-07 | 0.52 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
Pumpkinseed
Yellow Bullhead
From the 2021-06-07 survey
Perch Lake is a 270 acre lake located inside the city limits of Baxter in Crow Wing County. A DNR owned public access is located on the south end of the lake. Perch reaches a depth of 40 feet, with 61% being 15 feet deep or less. Large beds of bulrush and water lilies surround the lakeshore. Protection of aquatic…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Perch Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PerchFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Perch (0005)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — PerchFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — PerchPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
40 ft
Surface area
266 acres
Shoreline
3.7 mi
Littoral zone
62%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,175 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Perch 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 Perch Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Perch 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 Perch 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 Perch Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 14
Earliest Apr 9, 2020 · Latest Apr 30, 2022
Most recent ice-out
Apr 30
2022
8 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Perch Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN18-0371-00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Perch Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Brainerd WwtpBaxter · 1.5 mi away · NPDES MN0049328MajorRecent violation
- Burlington Northern-BaxterBaxter · 1.5 mi away · NPDES MN0055387
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 Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Perch Lake
Where is Perch Lake?
- Perch 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 Perch Lake?
- Perch Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 265.91 acres.
Is Perch Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Perch Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Perch Lake?
- Perch Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 11 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Perch Lake?
- Perch Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet. The lake covers 265.91 acres.
What fish are in Perch Lake?
- Fish species found in Perch Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Perch Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Perch Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 7, 2021 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Perch Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Perch Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Perch Lake thaw?
- Perch Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 14.
Are there boat ramps on Perch Lake?
- Perch Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Perch Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Perch Lake?
- Perch 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 Perch Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
11 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2022–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA11 samples · 2022–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
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