Perry Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota164 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Perry Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 23 ft max depth
- Public access
Perry Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 74 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13 µg/L. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 164.2 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 3, 2019 caught 5.00 northern pike per gill net at Perry Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–24 inches. DNR survey details →
Perry Lake is a 164-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 23 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Perry Lake ranks #85 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Perry Lake covers about 160 acres in Crow Wing County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Perry Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Perry Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing10 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Perry 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 Perry Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Perry Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft. Phosphorus 74 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 74µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Perry Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Perry Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 67°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 70°F) and coldest in May (about 56°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (56°F) to its warmest (70°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 58 field readings (2023–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Perry Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 3, 2019 caught 5.00 northern pike per gill net at Perry Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–24 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Perry 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
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2019-06-03 (Targeted Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2019-06-03 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 115.62 | 3–10 in 2019-06-03 | 0.26 lb |
| Black Crappie | 19.68 | 5–13 in 2017-06-05 | 0.19 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 17.70 | 2–13 in 2019-06-03 | 0.59 lb |
| Bluegill | 14.78 | 3–9 in 2017-06-05 | 0.23 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 12.60 | 6–8 in 2019-06-03 | 0.15 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.88 | 15–24 in 2019-06-03 | 2.34 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.
Black Bullhead
Black Crappie
Brown Bullhead
Bluegill
From the 2019-06-03 survey
After reports of a winterkill during the winter of 2018-19 a survey was conducted on Perry Lake to assess the fish community. Two standard gillnets, three standard trapnets, and two 3/8" trapnets were used. Northern pike had a gillnet CPUE of 5.0. Lengths ranged from 15.6"-24.0". Lakes in this part of the state have a…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Perry Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PerryFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Perry (0186)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — PerryFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — PerryPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
23 ft
Surface area
164 acres
Shoreline
2.4 mi
Littoral zone
80%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,217 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Perry 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 Perry Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Perry 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Perry Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Perry 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 →
Follow Perry Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Perry Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2023–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+19.25 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-9.15 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Perry Lake
Where is Perry Lake?
- Perry 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 Perry Lake?
- Perry Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 74 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13 µg/L. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 164.2 acres.
Is Perry 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 Perry Lake?
- Perry Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September, from 58 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Perry Lake?
- Perry Lake has a maximum depth of 23 feet. The lake covers 164.2 acres.
What fish are in Perry Lake?
- Fish species found in Perry Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Perry Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Perry Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 3, 2019 caught 5.00 northern pike per gill net at Perry Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–24 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Perry 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.
Are there boat ramps on Perry Lake?
- Perry Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Perry Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Perry Lake?
- Perry 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 Perry Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
31 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA31 samples · 2023–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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