Sanburn Lake
Cass County, Minnesota220 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sanburn Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 48 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Sanburn Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 48 ft. Surface area: 220.31 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 7, 2022 caught 12.19 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Sanburn Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–14 inches. DNR survey details →
Sanburn Lake is a 220-acre lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 48 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-07-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sanburn Lake covers about 220 acres in Cass County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Sanburn Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Sanburn Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19 ft of visibility
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Deep water48 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 Sanburn 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 Sanburn Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sanburn Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 19 ft down. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 19ft | 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. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Sanburn Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sanburn Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in Jun (about 68°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (68°F) to its warmest (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 8 field readings (2011–2019) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sanburn Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 7, 2022 caught 12.19 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Sanburn Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–14 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sanburn 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
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-07-07 (Targeted Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2022-07-07 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 49.31 | ||
| Bluegill | 31.86 | 2–9 in 2022-06-27 | 0.16 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 10.04 | 6–13 in 2022-06-27 | 0.53 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 9.11 | 5–14 in 2022-06-27 | 0.48 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
Yellow Bullhead
Largemouth Bass
From the 2022-07-07 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Sanborn Lake was conducted on July 21, 2022 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sanburn Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SanbornFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Sanborn (1463)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — SanbornFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SanbornPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
48 ft
Surface area
220 acres
Shoreline
2.5 mi
Littoral zone
38%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,312 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sanburn Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sanburn Lake in Cass 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 Sanburn 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 →
Follow Sanburn Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sanburn Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+7 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.8 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Sanburn Lake
Where is Sanburn Lake?
- Sanburn Lake is a lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sanburn Lake?
- Sanburn Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 48 ft. Surface area: 220.31 acres.
Is Sanburn 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 Sanburn Lake?
- Sanburn Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in August, from 8 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2019). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sanburn Lake?
- Sanburn Lake has a maximum depth of 48 feet. The lake covers 220.31 acres.
What fish are in Sanburn Lake?
- Fish species found in Sanburn Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Sanburn Lake is located in Cass County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sanburn Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 7, 2022 caught 12.19 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Sanburn Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–14 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sanburn 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.
Can I fish at Sanburn Lake?
- Public access to Sanburn Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Sanburn Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA10 samples · 2020–2024
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