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Roosevelt Lake

Cass County, MinnesotaMesotrophic

Roosevelt Lake earns an A — every scored parameter (clarity and phosphorus) rates among the best monitored waters in Cass County. clarity and phosphorus rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI near 41 places Roosevelt Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. At 129 ft of maximum depth, Roosevelt Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. Roosevelt Lake covers 1,511 acres alongside 18.6 miles of shoreline, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Among the 132 graded lakes in Cass County, Roosevelt Lake sits at rank 64, above the county median.

Roosevelt Lake is on the Minnesota infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. Muskie are on the species list at Roosevelt Lake, among the lake's 18 documented fish. A documented public access point at Roosevelt Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 23 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 19. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-24. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

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Swimming Safety

Excellent for swimming, crystal clear water with minimal algae

Water Quality Grade: A, Excellent

Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft. Phosphorus level: 12 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 41.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)11 ftB
Phosphorus12 µg/LA
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)41Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth129 ft
Surface Area1.5K acres
Shoreline Length18.6 mi
Littoral Zone26%
Public AccessYes

Fish Species

black crappie,bluegill,bowfin (dogfish),brown bullhead,greater redhorse,green sunfish,hybrid sunfish,largemouth bass,muskellunge,northern pike,pumpkinseed,rock bass,smallmouth bass,tullibee (cisco),walleye,white sucker,yellow bullhead,yellow perch

Click a species to see all Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes where it is found.

→ Best fishing times for Roosevelt Lake (14-day solunar calendar)

→ Is it safe to eat fish from Roosevelt Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)

Roosevelt Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

Invasive & Introduced Species

Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.

Eurasian watermilfoilzebra mussel

Water Quality Trend: Stable

Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Declining-0.124 m/yr5
Phosphorus Improving-1.1 µg/L/yr5
See year-by-year chart →

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (41 observations).

Typical Ice-Out
Apr 19
Typical Ice-In
Dec 10

Estimated open water season: 235 days

EarliestLatest
Ice-Out2021-04-06 (2021)2022-05-07 (2022)
Ice-In2018-11-28 (2018)2006-12-21 (2006)

Most recent ice-out: 2025-04-16

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #64 of 132 lakes in Cass County

Nearby Lakes in Cass County

Compare Roosevelt Lake With Nearby Lakes

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

17 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-07-08 (Standard Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Bluntnose Minnow91.05
Bluegill39.490.11 lb
Yellow Perch19.600.13 lb
Largemouth Bass16.640.82 lb
Tullibee (Cisco)14.560.34 lb
BKF9.70

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

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

336 fish · 27 in · 2024-07-08
98490234567

Yellow Perch

43 fish · 48 in · 2024-07-08
2010045678

Largemouth Bass

112 fish · 617 in · 2024-07-08
2211067891011121314151617

Tullibee (Cisco)

52 fish · 711 in · 2024-07-08
221107891011

From the 2024-07-08 survey

Roosevelt is a 1,511 acre lake located in the town of Outing in Cass County. It has a maximum depth of 129 feet and 25% of the lake is 15 feet deep or less. On the east side of the lake is a DNR access one mile south of Outing on the west side of Minnesota Highway 6. Muskellunge are the primary managed species on…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Roosevelt Lake. 4 reports on file.

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Roosevelt Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Roosevelt Lake (completed 1936), built primarily for recreation on the Crooked Creek; gravity-type dam, 8 ft tall and 41 ft long.

Surface area
1,510 ac
Normal storage
67,360 ac-ft
Max storage
72,412 ac-ft
Drainage area
40 sq mi
Hazard class
Low
Owner
MNDNR

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00051 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Roosevelt Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN11-0043-02 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.68 km)

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder

Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate

Most recent sample: 2024-09-24

Monitoring stations: 6