Sawbill Lake
Cook County, Minnesota834 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sawbill Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 45 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Sawbill Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 833.89 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2013 caught 2.75 walleye per gill net at Sawbill Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–24 inches. DNR survey details →
Sawbill Lake is a 834-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 45 feet. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including burbot, cisco species, and northern pike. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sawbill Lake covers about 830 acres in Cook County. The median ice-out date is May 7, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Sawbill Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Sawbill Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing8 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around May 7
- Deep water45 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sawbill Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sawbill 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 Sawbill Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sawbill 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 6.6 ft. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.6ft | 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. | 50 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Sawbill Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2013 caught 2.75 walleye per gill net at Sawbill Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–24 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sawbill Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2013-09-09 (Standard Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2013-09-09 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 5.70 | 9–22 in 2013-09-09 | 2.7 lb |
| Walleye | 2.41 | 7–24 in 2013-09-09 | 1.13 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 1.68 | 5–8 in 2013-09-09 | 0.13 lb |
| Northern Pike | 1.15 | 14–22 in 2013-09-09 | 1.5 lb |
| Rock Bass | 0.94 | 4–8 in 2013-09-09 | 0.27 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 0.31 | 11–16 in 2013-09-09 | 1.57 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.
White Sucker
Walleye
Yellow Perch
Northern Pike
From the 2013-09-09 survey
This assessment was to have been the second of two scheduled in the 2005 lake management plan to monitor walleye and northern pike abundance, and to determine whether a resumption of walleye stocking was needed. The first, scheduled for 2008, could not be completed. Walleye were present in fair numbers in 2013, and…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sawbill Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SawbillFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SawbillPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
45 ft
Surface area
834 acres
Shoreline
26.3 mi
Littoral zone
53%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
11 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,788 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sawbill Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sawbill Lake in Cook 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 Sawbill 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 →
Follow Sawbill Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sawbill Lake
Ice season
Typical ice-out
May 7
Earliest Mar 27, 2012 · Latest May 15, 2014
Typical ice-in
Nov 12
Earliest Nov 8, 2019 · Latest Nov 24, 1990
Most recent ice-out
Apr 17
2024
14 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Sawbill Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN16-0496-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Sawbill Lake
Where is Sawbill Lake?
- Sawbill Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sawbill Lake?
- Sawbill Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 833.89 acres.
Is Sawbill Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sawbill Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sawbill Lake?
- Sawbill Lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet. The lake covers 833.89 acres.
What fish are in Sawbill Lake?
- Fish species found in Sawbill Lake include burbot, cisco species, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Sawbill Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sawbill Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2013 caught 2.75 walleye per gill net at Sawbill Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–24 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sawbill Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Sawbill Lake thaw?
- Sawbill Lake typically has ice-out around May 7. Ice typically forms around Nov 12. The open water season is approximately 189 days.
Can I fish at Sawbill Lake?
- Public access to Sawbill 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 Sawbill Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Cook County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
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Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA3 samples · 2024–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate