Star Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota127 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Star Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 83 ft max depth
Star Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 83 ft. Surface area: 127.47 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 28, 2010 caught 0.25 walleye per gill net at Star Lake. DNR survey details →
Star Lake is a 127-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 83 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and green sunfish. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Star Lake ranks #14 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Star Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19 ft of visibility
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Deep water83 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 Star 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 Star Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Star 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. Phosphorus 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.9 µg/L. TSI 37.
| 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 | 11µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.9µg/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. | 37 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Star Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Star Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in May (about 61°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (61°F) to its warmest (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 52 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Star Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 28, 2010 caught 0.25 walleye per gill net at Star Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Star Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2010-07-28 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2010-07-28 (Standard Survey)
16 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 65.19 | ||
| Bluegill | 8.34 | 3–7 in 2010-07-28 | 0.11 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 6.81 | 9–11 in 2010-07-28 | 0.34 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 5.59 | 5–8 in 2010-07-28 | 0.13 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
Tullibee (Cisco)
Yellow Perch
From the 2010-07-28 survey
Star Lake is a 126 acre lake located 5 miles southwest of Crosslake. The lake is part of a chain of lakes characterized as having hard water, low fertility, and very good water clarity. The maximum depth is approximately 83 feet and about 29% of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Northern pike are the lakes primary…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Star Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — StarFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
83 ft
Surface area
127 acres
Shoreline
3.4 mi
Littoral zone
29%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Star Lake
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Follow Star Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Star Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.34 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.12 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Star Lake
Where is Star Lake?
- Star Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Star Lake?
- Star Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 83 ft. Surface area: 127.47 acres.
Is Star 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 Star Lake?
- Star Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September, from 52 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Star Lake?
- Star Lake has a maximum depth of 83 feet. The lake covers 127.47 acres.
What fish are in Star Lake?
- Fish species found in Star Lake include black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Star Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Star Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 28, 2010 caught 0.25 walleye per gill net at Star Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Star Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Star Lake?
- Public access to Star Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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 Star Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
164 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA164 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
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
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder