Sunrise Lake
Chisago County, Minnesota796 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sunrise Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 21 ft max depth
Sunrise Lake in Chisago County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 795.69 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 11, 2008 caught 2.44 northern pike per gill net at Sunrise Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Sunrise Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 20 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Sunrise Lake is a 796-acre mesotrophic lake in Chisago County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 21 feet (4-foot average). Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and green sunfish. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 29 other monitored lakes in Chisago County, Sunrise Lake ranks #11 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sunrise Lake covers about 800 acres in Chisago County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Sunrise Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Sunrise Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing10 species recorded
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 Sunrise 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 Sunrise Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sunrise Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.4 ft. Phosphorus 9.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.5 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9.4µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.5µg/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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Sunrise Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sunrise Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 77°F) and coldest in May (about 66°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (66°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 10 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sunrise Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 11, 2008 caught 2.44 northern pike per gill net at Sunrise Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sunrise 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
4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2008-08-11 (Standard Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2008-08-11 (Standard Survey)
18 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 37.37 | 3–7 in 2008-08-11 | 0.12 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 21.37 | 5–19 in 2008-08-11 | 0.93 lb |
| Black Crappie | 19.70 | 4–10 in 2008-08-11 | 0.16 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 3.75 | 9–13 in 2008-08-11 | 0.74 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 3.45 | 8–16 in 2008-08-11 | 1.04 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.18 | 5–6 in 2008-08-11 | 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
Largemouth Bass
Black Crappie
Yellow Bullhead
From the 2008-08-11 survey
Sunrise is a shallow, 742 acre lake located 3 miles north of Lindstrom, MN. The lake's turbidity and fertility is high while lakeshore development and fishing pressure is light. The maximum depth is 21 feet but only 4% of the lake exceeds 15 feet. Purchase and development of a public access is a management priority. A…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sunrise Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SunriseFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
21 ft
Average depth
4 ft
Surface area
796 acres
Shoreline
6.8 mi
Littoral zone
89%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
68 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
860 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sunrise Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sunrise Lake in Chisago 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 Sunrise Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sunrise Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2024–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-11.6 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-1.3 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Chisago County
Frequently asked questions about Sunrise Lake
Where is Sunrise Lake?
- Sunrise Lake is a lake in Chisago County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sunrise Lake?
- Sunrise Lake in Chisago County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 795.69 acres.
Is Sunrise 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 Sunrise Lake?
- Sunrise Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in September, from 10 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sunrise Lake?
- Sunrise Lake has a maximum depth of 21 feet and an average depth of 4 feet. The lake covers 795.69 acres.
What fish are in Sunrise Lake?
- Fish species found in Sunrise Lake include black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, sunfish, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Sunrise Lake is located in Chisago County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sunrise Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 11, 2008 caught 2.44 northern pike per gill net at Sunrise Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sunrise 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.
Can I fish at Sunrise Lake?
- Public access to Sunrise 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 Sunrise Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
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Fish species and best lakes in Chisago County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the St. Croix Watershed, ranked by water quality
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Where this data comes from
29 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA29 samples · 2024–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by 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