Pickerel Lake
Sherburne County, Minnesota108 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Pickerel Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 21 ft max depth
Pickerel Lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 107.9 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 2007 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Pickerel Lake. DNR survey details →
Pickerel Lake is a 108-acre mesotrophic lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 21 feet (5-foot average). Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 17 other monitored lakes in Sherburne County, Pickerel Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Pickerel Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing9 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Pickerel Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.3 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Pickerel Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Pickerel Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 82°F) and coldest in May (about 68°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (68°F) to its warmest (82°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 61 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Pickerel Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 2007 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Pickerel Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pickerel Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2007-07-09 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2007-07-09 (Standard Survey)
19 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 28.01 | 2–19 in 2007-07-09 | 0.95 lb |
| Bluegill | 15.33 | 1–6 in 2007-07-09 | 0.1 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 14.72 | 2–6 in 2007-07-09 | 0.12 lb |
| Northern Pike | 12.41 | 11–27 in 2007-07-09 | 2.01 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 11.00 | 6–14 in 2007-07-09 | 0.73 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 2.67 | 0.2 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.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
Northern Pike
From the 2007-07-09 survey
Pickerel Lake is a 121-acre lake connected to Long and Round Lakes. The three lakes are located three miles west of Clear Lake in western Sherburne County. Water quality was good with a secchi reading of 11.7 feet and oxygen levels to 14 feet. The lake is heavily developed along the west side but the remainder of the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pickerel Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PickerelFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
21 ft
Average depth
5.4 ft
Surface area
108 acres
Shoreline
3.1 mi
Littoral zone
97%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
974 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Pickerel Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Pickerel Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Pickerel Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.57 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.31 µg/L/yr3 years
Nearby Lakes in Sherburne County
Frequently asked questions about Pickerel Lake
Where is Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake is a lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 107.9 acres.
Is Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in September, from 61 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake has a maximum depth of 21 feet and an average depth of 5.4 feet. The lake covers 107.9 acres.
What fish are in Pickerel Lake?
- Fish species found in Pickerel Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Pickerel Lake is located in Sherburne County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Pickerel Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 9, 2007 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Pickerel Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pickerel Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Pickerel Lake?
- Public access to Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
168 measurements from 2 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
MNPCA168 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder