Spring Lake
Polk County, Minnesota134 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Spring Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 35 ft max depth
- Public access
Spring Lake in Polk County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 35 ft. Surface area: 134.26 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 31, 2023 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Spring Lake. DNR survey details →
Spring Lake is a 134-acre mesotrophic lake in Polk County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 35 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 18 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Spring Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Spring Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Deep water35 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Spring 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 Spring Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Spring 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 5.6 ft. Phosphorus 22.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.2 µg/L. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 22.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.2µg/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. | 50 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Spring Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Spring Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 63°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 64°F) and coldest in May (about 56°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (56°F) to its warmest (64°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 49 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Spring Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 31, 2023 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Spring Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Spring Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-07-31 (Standard Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2023-07-31 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 23.11 | 5–8 in 2023-07-31 | 0.09 lb |
| Bluegill | 16.95 | 3–7 in 2023-07-31 | 0.18 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 10.50 | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 6.50 | 11–16 in 2014-08-11 | 0.49 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
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
From the 2023-07-31 survey
Spring Lake is a small lake that supports a panfish and pike community along with a few Walleyes. On 07/31/2023, the fish community of Spring Lake was surveyed. Results of the 2023 lake assessment indicate that the lake holds fair numbers of panfish such as Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Yellow Perch. Bluegill numbers…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Spring Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SpringFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Spring (1952)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — SpringFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SpringPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
35 ft
Surface area
134 acres
Shoreline
3.1 mi
Littoral zone
33%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
21 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,335 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Spring 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 Spring Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Spring Lake in Polk 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 Spring Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Spring Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.04 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Spring Lake
Where is Spring Lake?
- Spring Lake is a lake in Polk County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Spring Lake?
- Spring Lake in Polk County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 35 ft. Surface area: 134.26 acres.
Is Spring 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 Spring Lake?
- Spring Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in September, from 49 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Spring Lake?
- Spring Lake has a maximum depth of 35 feet. The lake covers 134.26 acres.
What fish are in Spring Lake?
- Fish species found in Spring Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Spring Lake is located in Polk County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Spring Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 31, 2023 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Spring Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Spring Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Spring Lake?
- Spring Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Spring Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Spring Lake?
- Spring 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 Spring Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
29 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
MNPCA29 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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