Sturgeon Lake
Pine County, Minnesota1,706 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sturgeon Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 40 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Sturgeon Lake in Pine County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 1705.91 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 10, 2025 caught 0.42 walleye per trap net at Sturgeon Lake. DNR survey details →
Sturgeon Lake is a 1,706-acre lake in Pine County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 40 feet (22-foot average). Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sturgeon Lake covers about 1,700 acres in Pine County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 25, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Sturgeon Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Sturgeon Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 25
- Deep water40 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,706 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sturgeon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sturgeon 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 Sturgeon Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sturgeon 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 17 ft down. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17ft | 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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Sturgeon Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sturgeon Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 74°F) and coldest in Sep (about 67°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (67°F) to its warmest (74°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 42 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sturgeon Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 10, 2025 caught 0.42 walleye per trap net at Sturgeon Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sturgeon 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
13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-10 (Targeted Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-10 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spottail Shiner | 86.90 | ||
| Bluntnose Minnow | 43.84 | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 18.51 | 5–15 in 2025-07-10 | 1.22 lb |
| Bluegill | 16.40 | 3–9 in 2025-07-10 | 0.17 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.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
From the 2025-07-10 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Sturgeon Lake was conducted on July 10-16, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sturgeon Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SturgeonFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Sturgeon (0358)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — SturgeonFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SturgeonPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
40 ft
Average depth
22 ft
Surface area
1,706 acres
Shoreline
9.6 mi
Littoral zone
29%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Sturgeon 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 Sturgeon Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sturgeon Lake in Pine 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 Sturgeon Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sturgeon Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 25
Earliest Apr 15, 2003 · Latest May 12, 2013
Most recent ice-out
May 5
2022
7 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Sturgeon 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 MN58-0067-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Pine County
Frequently asked questions about Sturgeon Lake
Where is Sturgeon Lake?
- Sturgeon Lake is a lake in Pine County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sturgeon Lake?
- Sturgeon Lake in Pine County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 1705.91 acres.
Is Sturgeon Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sturgeon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Sturgeon Lake?
- Sturgeon Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September, from 42 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sturgeon Lake?
- Sturgeon Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet and an average depth of 22 feet. The lake covers 1705.91 acres.
What fish are in Sturgeon Lake?
- Fish species found in Sturgeon Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Sturgeon Lake is located in Pine County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sturgeon Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 10, 2025 caught 0.42 walleye per trap net at Sturgeon Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sturgeon 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.
When does Sturgeon Lake thaw?
- Sturgeon Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 25.
Are there boat ramps on Sturgeon Lake?
- Sturgeon Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sturgeon Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sturgeon Lake?
- Sturgeon 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 Sturgeon Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
80 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
MNPCA80 samples · 2020–2025
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate