Rossman Lake
Becker County, Minnesota273 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Rossman Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 20 ft max depth
- Limited data
Rossman Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 272.68 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 1993 caught 4.00 northern pike per gill net at Rossman Lake. DNR survey details →
Rossman Lake is a 273-acre lake in Becker County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 20 feet (8-foot average). Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Rossman Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 26
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Rossman 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 Rossman Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Rossman Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.5ft | 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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Rossman Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Rossman Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was moderate (62,517 cells/mL) on November 15, 2025.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 1993 caught 4.00 northern pike per gill net at Rossman Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rossman 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
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1993-06-21 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1993-06-21 (Standard Survey)
33 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 43.43 | 3–11 in 1993-06-21 | 0.4 lb |
| Bluegill | 21.07 | 2–8 in 1993-06-21 | 0.34 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 9.75 | 3–7 in 1993-06-21 | 0.32 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 5.85 | 6–11 in 1993-06-21 | 0.72 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.76 | 3–6 in 1993-06-21 | 0.31 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 4.70 | 6–11 in 1993-06-21 | 0.57 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.
Black Bullhead
Bluegill
Hybrid Sunfish
Brown Bullhead
From the 1993-06-21 survey
Rossman (Erickson) Lake has a tendency to partially winterkill during some winters. Algal blooms and lowwater clarity often make mid-summer angling difficult. Fish populations are somewhat indicative of a winterkilllake with high populations of black bullhead, northern pike, and bluegill. Northern pike tend to be…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Rossman Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RossmanFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
20 ft
Average depth
8 ft
Surface area
273 acres
Shoreline
5.8 mi
Littoral zone
85%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,352 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Rossman Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Rossman Lake in Becker 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 Rossman Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Rossman Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.9 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.05 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 26
Earliest Mar 22, 2012 · Latest May 23, 2014
Typical ice-in
Nov 19
Earliest Nov 12, 2014 · Latest Nov 29, 2006
Most recent ice-out
May 23
2014
21 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Becker County
Frequently asked questions about Rossman Lake
Where is Rossman Lake?
- Rossman Lake is a lake in Becker County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Rossman Lake?
- Rossman Lake in Becker County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 272.68 acres.
Is Rossman Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Rossman Lake?
- Rossman Lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet and an average depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 272.68 acres.
What fish are in Rossman Lake?
- Fish species found in Rossman Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Rossman Lake is located in Becker County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Rossman Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 1993 caught 4.00 northern pike per gill net at Rossman Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rossman 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 Rossman Lake thaw?
- Rossman Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 26. Ice typically forms around Nov 19. The open water season is approximately 207 days.
Does Rossman Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Rossman Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was moderate (62,517 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Rossman Lake?
- Public access to Rossman 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 Rossman Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
95 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
MNPCA95 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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate