Roger Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota240 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Roger Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 64 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Roger Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 64 ft. Surface area: 239.99 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 14, 2025 caught 6.05 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Roger Lake. DNR survey details →
Roger Lake is a 240-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 64 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Roger Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 25
- Deep water64 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Roger 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 Roger Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Roger 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 14 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14ft | 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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Roger Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Roger Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 74°F) and coldest in May (about 55°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (55°F) to its warmest (74°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 16 field readings (2016–2019) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Roger Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 14, 2025 caught 6.05 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Roger Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Roger Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
17 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-14 (Targeted Survey).
17 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-14 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 37.95 | ||
| Bluegill | 22.71 | 3–9 in 2025-07-14 | 0.25 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 14.09 | 5–13 in 2025-07-14 | 0.5 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 13.11 |
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
Yellow Bullhead
From the 2025-08-14 survey
Rogers is a 240-acre lake located 30 miles northeast of Brainerd in Crow Wing County. It has a maximum depth of 64 feet, 83 acres of littoral area, and 2.54 miles of shoreline. A near-shore survey was conducted to assess the populations of both game and non-game fish species. A total of 10 sampling stations were…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Roger Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RogersFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Rogers (0394)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — RogersPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
64 ft
Surface area
240 acres
Shoreline
2.5 mi
Littoral zone
35%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,224 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Roger 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 Roger Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Roger 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 Roger Lake
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Follow Roger Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Roger Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 25
Earliest Mar 21, 2012 · Latest May 12, 2013
Typical ice-in
Dec 2
Earliest Nov 26, 2014 · Latest Dec 14, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Apr 25
2019
11 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Roger Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Rogers Lake (completed 1938), built primarily for recreation, 8 ft tall and 11 ft long.
- Surface area
- 300 ac
- Normal storage
- 200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 200 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1.75 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Undetermined
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN01116 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.43 km)
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Roger Lake
Where is Roger Lake?
- Roger 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 Roger Lake?
- Roger Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 64 ft. Surface area: 239.99 acres.
Is Roger 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 Roger Lake?
- Roger Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 16 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2019). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Roger Lake?
- Roger Lake has a maximum depth of 64 feet. The lake covers 239.99 acres.
What fish are in Roger Lake?
- Fish species found in Roger Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Roger Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Roger Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 14, 2025 caught 6.05 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Roger Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Roger Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Roger Lake thaw?
- Roger Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 25. Ice typically forms around Dec 2. The open water season is approximately 221 days.
Are there boat ramps on Roger Lake?
- Roger Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Roger Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Roger Lake?
- Roger 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 Roger Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA10 samples · 2020–2025
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
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