Sunshine Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota79 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sunshine Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 37 ft max depth
- Limited data
Sunshine Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 37 ft. Surface area: 79.45 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 29, 1991 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Sunshine Lake. DNR survey details →
Sunshine Lake is a 79-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 37 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sunshine Lake covers about 79 acres in St. Louis County. The median ice-out date is April 24, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Sunshine Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Sunshine Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water20 ft of visibility
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 24
- Deep water37 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sunshine 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 Sunshine Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sunshine 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 20 ft down. TSI 34.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 20ft | 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. | 34 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Sunshine Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sunshine Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 62°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 65°F) and coldest in May (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (53°F) to its warmest (65°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 235 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sunshine Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 29, 1991 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Sunshine Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sunshine Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1991-08-29 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1991-08-29 (Standard Survey)
35 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 12.25 | 0.23 lb | |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 8.00 | 0.51 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 5.00 | 0.19 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 4.63 | 3.78 lb | |
| Largemouth Bass | 2.38 | 0.45 lb | |
| Rock Bass | 2.38 | 0.23 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.
From the 1991-08-29 survey
ALL FISH POPULATIONS SAMPLED IN SUNSHINE LAKE ARE NATURALLY REPRODUCING NOP GILLNET CATCH RATE OF 8.5 PER LIFT IS WELL ABOVE THE MEDIAN OF 2.7 PER LIFT FOR THIS LAKE CLASS. NOP SIZE STRUCTURE IS EXCELLENT WITH A MEAN LENGTH OF 24.1 INCHES AND 41% OF THE FISH IN OUR SAMPLE LONGER THAN 28.0 INCHES. NOP GROWTH RATES ARE…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sunshine Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SunshineFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Sunshine (0461)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
37 ft
Surface area
79 acres
Shoreline
2 mi
Littoral zone
42%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,375 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sunshine Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sunshine Lake in St. Louis 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 Sunshine Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Sunshine Lake’s readings
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Fishing Sunshine Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 24
Earliest Apr 16, 2005 · Latest May 27, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 19
Earliest Nov 8, 2003 · Latest Dec 7, 2001
Most recent ice-out
May 27
2022
14 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Sunshine Lake
Where is Sunshine Lake?
- Sunshine Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sunshine Lake?
- Sunshine Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 37 ft. Surface area: 79.45 acres.
Is Sunshine 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 Sunshine Lake?
- Sunshine Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September, from 235 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sunshine Lake?
- Sunshine Lake has a maximum depth of 37 feet. The lake covers 79.45 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sunshine Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 29, 1991 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Sunshine Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sunshine Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Sunshine Lake thaw?
- Sunshine Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24. Ice typically forms around Nov 19. The open water season is approximately 209 days.
Can I fish at Sunshine Lake?
- Public access to Sunshine 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.
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Where this data comes from
75 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
MNPCA75 samples · 2020–2025
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate