Pickeral Lake
Freeborn County, Minnesota588 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Pickeral Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 6 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Pickeral Lake in Freeborn County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 6 ft. Surface area: 587.58 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 15, 2013 caught 14.50 northern pike per gill net at Pickeral Lake. DNR survey details →
Pickeral Lake is a 588-acre lake in Freeborn County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 6 feet (4-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pickeral Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pickeral 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 Pickeral Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Pickeral 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 1 ft of visibility. TSI 77.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1ft | 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. | 77 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Pickeral Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Pickeral Lake typically sits around 79°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 79°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 81°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 (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 19 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Pickeral Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 15, 2013 caught 14.50 northern pike per gill net at Pickeral Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pickeral Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2013-07-15 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2013-07-15 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 332.62 | 3–11 in 2013-07-15 | 0.21 lb |
| Fathead Minnow | 118.50 | ||
| Common Carp | 50.30 | 2–27 in 2008-07-06 | 1.8 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 27.50 | 4–12 in 2013-07-15 | 0.17 lb |
| Bluegill | 13.61 | 2–8 in 2013-07-15 | 0.22 lb |
| Black Crappie | 7.52 | 6–11 in 2013-07-15 | 0.38 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
Common Carp
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
From the 2013-07-15 survey
Pickeral Lake is a shallow, 620 acre lake in Freeborn County. Mean depth is 3.5 feet and maximum depth is 6 feet. The city of Albert Lea is immediately northeast of Pickeral Lake. A city-owned earthen public access is located on the southeast corner of the lake off highway 69. The lake was reclaimed in fall of 2009…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pickeral Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PickeralFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — PickeralFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — PickeralPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
6 ft
Average depth
3.5 ft
Surface area
588 acres
Shoreline
5.7 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,224 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
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Stays near Pickeral Lake
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Fishing Pickeral Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2023–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Pickeral 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, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN24-0025-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Freeborn County
Frequently asked questions about Pickeral Lake
Where is Pickeral Lake?
- Pickeral Lake is a lake in Freeborn County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pickeral Lake?
- Pickeral Lake in Freeborn County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 6 ft. Surface area: 587.58 acres.
Is Pickeral Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pickeral Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Pickeral Lake?
- Pickeral Lake typically sits around 79°F at the surface in August, from 19 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Pickeral Lake?
- Pickeral Lake has a maximum depth of 6 feet and an average depth of 3.5 feet. The lake covers 587.58 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Pickeral Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 15, 2013 caught 14.50 northern pike per gill net at Pickeral Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pickeral Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Pickeral Lake?
- Public access to Pickeral Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Pickeral Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
23 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
MNPCA23 samples · 2023–2025
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