Pomme de Terre Lake
Grant County, Minnesota1,816 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Pomme de Terre Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- zebra mussel
- 23 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Pomme de Terre Lake in Grant County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 1815.67 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 2023 caught 11.92 walleye per gill net at Pomme de Terre Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Pomme de Terre Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 20 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Pomme de Terre Lake is a 1,816-acre lake in Grant County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 23 feet (10-foot average). Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 22 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Pomme de Terre Lake covers about 1,800 acres in Grant County. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. The median ice-out date is April 10, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Pomme de Terre Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Pomme de Terre Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Fishing22 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 10
- Big water1,816 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pomme de Terre Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pomme de Terre 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 Pomme de Terre Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Pomme de Terre 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 4.5 ft. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.5ft | 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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Pomme de Terre Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Pomme de Terre Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in Sep (about 65°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (65°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 66 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Pomme de Terre Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 2023 caught 11.92 walleye per gill net at Pomme de Terre Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pomme de Terre Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-08-21 (Standard Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2023-08-21 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 21.38 | ||
| Green Sunfish | 20.57 | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 15.61 | 4–18 in 2023-08-21 | 1.22 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
From the 2023-08-21 survey
Pomme de Terre Lake is a shallow, 1,758-acre basin located on the Pomme de Terre River between the towns of Elbow Lake and Ashby in Grant County. Mean and maximum depths are 10.0 and 23.0 feet, respectively. Three public access locations are available on Pomme de Terre Lake. Boaters should be aware of numerous shallow…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pomme de Terre Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Pomme de TerreFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Pomme de TerreFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Pomme de TerrePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
23 ft
Average depth
10 ft
Surface area
1,816 acres
Shoreline
14 mi
Littoral zone
89%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
273 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,155 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Pomme De Terre Lake (West)Public
- Tipsinah MoundPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Pomme de Terre Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Pomme de Terre Lake in Grant 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 Pomme de Terre Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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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 Pomme de Terre Lake
- → Pomme de Terre Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Pomme de Terre Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Pomme de Terre Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Pomme de Terre Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 10
Earliest Apr 6, 2004 · Latest Apr 13, 2015
Typical ice-in
Nov 6
Earliest Nov 3, 2002 · Latest Nov 21, 2003
Most recent ice-out
Apr 9
2020
7 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Pomme de Terre Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pomme De Terre (completed 1936), built primarily for recreation on the Pomme de Terre River; gravity-type dam, 10 ft tall and 57 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,948 ac
- Normal storage
- 15,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 23,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 308 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR-Wildlife
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN01138 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Pomme de Terre 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN26-0097-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Grant County
Frequently asked questions about Pomme de Terre Lake
Where is Pomme de Terre Lake?
- Pomme de Terre Lake is a lake in Grant County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pomme de Terre Lake?
- Pomme de Terre Lake in Grant County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 1815.67 acres.
Is Pomme de Terre Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pomme de Terre Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Pomme de Terre Lake?
- Pomme de Terre Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September, from 66 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Pomme de Terre Lake?
- Pomme de Terre Lake has a maximum depth of 23 feet and an average depth of 10 feet. The lake covers 1815.67 acres.
What fish are in Pomme de Terre Lake?
- Fish species found in Pomme de Terre Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, sunfish, walleye, white crappie, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Pomme de Terre Lake is located in Grant County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Pomme de Terre Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 2023 caught 11.92 walleye per gill net at Pomme de Terre Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pomme de Terre Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Pomme de Terre Lake thaw?
- Pomme de Terre Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 10. Ice typically forms around Nov 6. The open water season is approximately 210 days.
Are there boat ramps on Pomme de Terre Lake?
- Pomme de Terre Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Pomme De Terre Lake (West), Tipsinah Mound. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Pomme de Terre Lake?
- Pomme de Terre Lake has 2 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 Pomme de Terre Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
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Fish species and best lakes in Grant County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
78 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
MNPCA78 samples · 2020–2025
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
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