Sand Lake
Cass County, Minnesota149 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sand Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 54 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Sand Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 149.17 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 25, 2022 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Sand Lake. DNR survey details →
Sand Lake is a 149-acre lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 54 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Sand Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water20 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around May 2
- Deep water54 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 Sand 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 Sand Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sand 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 20 ft down. TSI 34.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 20ft | 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. | 34 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Sand Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sand Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Oct (about 60°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (60°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 52 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sand Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 25, 2022 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Sand Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-07-25 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2022-07-25 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 25.82 | ||
| Golden Shiner | 22.00 | ||
| Bluegill | 9.79 | 2–9 in 2022-07-25 | 0.15 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 6.12 | 6–16 in 2022-07-25 | 0.84 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
Largemouth Bass
From the 2022-07-25 survey
Sand (Lower Sand) Lake is a 149-acre lake with 2 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 54 feet located southeast of Hackensack, MN. A public access is located on the Sand (Lower Sand) Lake is a 149-acre lake with 2 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 54 feet located southeast of Hackensack, MN. A public…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sand Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SandFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Sand (1392)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — SandFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
54 ft
Surface area
149 acres
Shoreline
2 mi
Littoral zone
36%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,332 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- PontoPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sand Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sand 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 Sand Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Sand Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sand Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.2 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.11 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
May 2
Earliest Apr 6, 2021 · Latest May 10, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 27
Earliest Nov 27, 2023 · Latest Dec 4, 2024
Most recent ice-out
May 2
2023
11 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Sand Lake
Where is Sand Lake?
- Sand 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 Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 149.17 acres.
Is Sand 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 Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in October, from 52 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake has a maximum depth of 54 feet. The lake covers 149.17 acres.
What fish are in Sand Lake?
- Fish species found in Sand Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Sand Lake is located in Cass County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sand Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 25, 2022 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Sand Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Sand Lake thaw?
- Sand Lake typically has ice-out around May 2. Ice typically forms around Nov 27. The open water season is approximately 209 days.
Are there boat ramps on Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Ponto. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sand Lake?
- Sand 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.
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Where this data comes from
116 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
MNPCA116 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