String Lake
Cottonwood County, Minnesota336 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for String Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 4 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
String Lake in Cottonwood County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 3.8 ft. Surface area: 336.23 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 8, 2016 caught 0.12 northern pike per trap net at String Lake. DNR survey details →
String Lake is a 336-acre lake in Cottonwood County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 4 feet. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-07-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What String Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing11 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether String 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 String Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for String Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 0.3 ft of visibility. TSI 93.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.3ft | 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. | 93 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about String Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 8, 2016 caught 0.12 northern pike per trap net at String Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows String Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-05-15 (Targeted Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2023-05-15 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathead Minnow | 53.03 | ||
| Bigmouth Buffalo | 41.13 | 11–28 in 2016-06-08 | 5.55 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 17.50 | 8–9 in 2023-05-15 | 0.36 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 8.84 | 3 in 2023-05-15 | 0.09 lb |
| Black Crappie | 5.38 | 4–10 in 2016-06-08 | 0.13 lb |
| Common Carp | 5.05 | 14–27 in 2016-06-08 | 5.06 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.
Bigmouth Buffalo
Black Bullhead
Yellow Perch
Black Crappie
From the 2023-05-15 survey
String Lake is a 402-acre, class 42 lake located four miles west of the City of Windom in Cottonwood County. String Lake is comprised of three basins divided by roads but are connected by culverts that allow fish passage. String Lake is a shallow basin (max depth of 6.0 ft.) that experiences frequent partial…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for String Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — StringFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — StringFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — StringPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
3.8 ft
Surface area
336 acres
Shoreline
7 mi
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,401 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near String Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near String Lake in Cottonwood 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 String Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing String Lake
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of String Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Red Rock Rural WtpWindom · 3.3 mi away · NPDES MN0068101
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Cottonwood County
Frequently asked questions about String Lake
Where is String Lake?
- String Lake is a lake in Cottonwood County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of String Lake?
- String Lake in Cottonwood County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 3.8 ft. Surface area: 336.23 acres.
Is String Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is String Lake?
- String Lake has a maximum depth of 3.8 feet. The lake covers 336.23 acres.
What fish are in String Lake?
- Fish species found in String Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. String Lake is located in Cottonwood County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at String Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 8, 2016 caught 0.12 northern pike per trap net at String Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows String Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at String Lake?
- Public access to String 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 String 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 Cottonwood County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Hypereutrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Department of Agriculture - Pesticide Monitoring
MNDA_PESTICIDE1 sample · 2022
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder