Spider Lake
Cass County, Minnesota145 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Spider Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 17 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Spider Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 17 ft. Surface area: 144.91 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2017 caught 1.83 walleye per gill net at Spider Lake. DNR survey details →
Spider Lake is a 145-acre mesotrophic lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 17 feet. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including black crappie, brown bullhead, and largemouth bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 103 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Spider Lake ranks #19 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Spider Lake covers about 140 acres in Cass County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Spider Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Spider Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.2 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing8 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Spider 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 Spider Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Spider Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10.2 ft. Phosphorus 12.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 12.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Spider Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2017 caught 1.83 walleye per gill net at Spider Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Spider Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. 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: 2017-08-07 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2017-08-07 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 23.84 | 5–10 in 2017-08-07 | 0.13 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 23.13 | 0.13 lb | |
| Black Bullhead | 17.63 | 9 in 1999-08-16 | 0.37 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 11.63 | 11–15 in 2017-08-07 | 0.94 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 11.45 | 5–22 in 2017-08-07 | 1.11 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 8.17 | 3–8 in 2017-08-07 | 0.28 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.
Yellow Perch
Black Bullhead
Brown Bullhead
Largemouth Bass
From the 2017-08-07 survey
Spider Lake is an 85 acre lake located in the Foothills State Forest nine miles north of Leader in Cass County. Spider is fairly shallow, with 88% being 15' deep or less. A small public access is located on the west shore. Several campsites are located on the northern and eastern shore and are frequently used by ATV…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Spider Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SpiderFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Spider (1131)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — SpiderFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SpiderPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
17 ft
Surface area
145 acres
Shoreline
4.5 mi
Littoral zone
52%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,424 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Spider 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 Spider Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Spider 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 Spider 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 Spider Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Spider Lake
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Spider Lake
Where is Spider Lake?
- Spider 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 Spider Lake?
- Spider Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 17 ft. Surface area: 144.91 acres.
Is Spider Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Spider Lake?
- Spider Lake has a maximum depth of 17 feet. The lake covers 144.91 acres.
What fish are in Spider Lake?
- Fish species found in Spider Lake include black crappie, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Spider Lake is located in Cass County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Spider Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 7, 2017 caught 1.83 walleye per gill net at Spider Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Spider Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Spider Lake?
- Spider Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Spider Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Spider Lake?
- Spider 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 Spider Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
15 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA15 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
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