Ross Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota492 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ross Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 30 ft max depth
- Public access
Ross Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13 µg/L. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 491.76 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2018 caught 1.67 walleye per gill net at Ross Lake. DNR survey details →
Ross Lake is a 492-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 30 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Ross Lake ranks #80 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Ross Lake covers about 490 acres in Crow Wing County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 14, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Ross Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Ross Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 14
- Deep water30 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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 Ross 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 Ross Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Ross 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 3.5 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13 µg/L. TSI 56.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Ross Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Ross Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 66°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 70°F) and coldest in Apr (about 45°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (45°F) to its warmest (70°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 75 field readings (2021–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ross Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2018 caught 1.67 walleye per gill net at Ross Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ross 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
4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2018-08-06 (Standard Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2018-08-06 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 18.62 | 2–7 in 2018-08-06 | 0.15 lb |
| Black Crappie | 13.38 | 4–11 in 2018-08-06 | 0.19 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 5.92 | 10–17 in 2018-08-06 | 1.09 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 5.17 | 5–8 in 2018-08-06 | 0.12 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 3.44 | 8–13 in 2018-08-06 | 0.78 lb |
| Northern Pike | 1.93 | 8–32 in 2018-08-06 | 3.22 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.
Bluegill
Black Crappie
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Perch
From the 2018-08-06 survey
Ross Lake is a 487 acre lake located in northeast Crow Wing County. A public access is located off the northeast corner of the lake. Ross has bog stained water, with a secchi disk reading of 4.0'. Much of the lakeshore is undeveloped and provides critical areas for fish spawning as well as providing habitat for fish…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ross Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RossFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Ross (0398)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — RossPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Surface area
492 acres
Shoreline
6.6 mi
Littoral zone
64%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
13 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,234 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Ross 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 Ross Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ross 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 Ross Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
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 Ross Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.25 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-6.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 14
Earliest Mar 23, 2012 · Latest May 1, 1996
Typical ice-in
Nov 21
Earliest Nov 15, 2014 · Latest Dec 1, 2007
Most recent ice-out
Apr 9
2015
34 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Ross Lake
Where is Ross Lake?
- Ross 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 Ross Lake?
- Ross Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13 µg/L. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 491.76 acres.
Is Ross 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 Ross Lake?
- Ross Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 75 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2021–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Ross Lake?
- Ross Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake covers 491.76 acres.
What fish are in Ross Lake?
- Fish species found in Ross Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Ross Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ross Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2018 caught 1.67 walleye per gill net at Ross Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ross 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.
When does Ross Lake thaw?
- Ross Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 14. Ice typically forms around Nov 21. The open water season is approximately 221 days.
Are there boat ramps on Ross Lake?
- Ross Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Ross Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Ross Lake?
- Ross 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 Ross Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
64 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
MNPCA64 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
- 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate