Sylvia Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota85 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sylvia Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 56 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Sylvia Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 56 ft. Surface area: 85.25 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 23, 2018 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Sylvia Lake. DNR survey details →
Sylvia Lake is a 85-acre lake in Stearns County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 56 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 19 documented fish species including bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, and black crappie. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sylvia Lake covers about 85 acres in Stearns County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 16, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Sylvia Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Sylvia Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing19 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 16
- Deep water56 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 Sylvia 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 Sylvia Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Sylvia Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10ft | 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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Sylvia Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sylvia Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 59°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 64°F) and coldest in Jun (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 (64°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 85 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sylvia Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 23, 2018 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Sylvia Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sylvia Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2018-07-23 (Standard Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2018-07-23 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 43.45 | ||
| Bluegill | 14.26 | 4–8 in 2018-07-23 | 0.16 lb |
| Fathead Minnow | 13.89 |
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
From the 2018-07-23 survey
Sylvia Lake is a small, scenic lake in northern Stearns County about 5 miles north of Melrose. It's connected to Little Birch Lake via a short, but non-navigable channel. A fishing pier and shoreline fishing-site is located in Lake Sylvia County Park on the south end of the lake near the public boat access which is…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Sylvia Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SylviaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Sylvia (1983)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — SylviaFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SylviaPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
56 ft
Surface area
85 acres
Shoreline
2 mi
Littoral zone
26%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
65 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,181 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Sylvia 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 Sylvia Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sylvia Lake in Stearns 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 Sylvia 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 Sylvia Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sylvia 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: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.54 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.78 µg/L/yr4 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 16
Earliest Apr 8, 2005 · Latest Apr 25, 2008
Typical ice-in
Dec 2
Earliest Nov 25, 2002 · Latest Dec 17, 2021
Most recent ice-out
Apr 23
2022
18 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Stearns County
Frequently asked questions about Sylvia Lake
Where is Sylvia Lake?
- Sylvia Lake is a lake in Stearns County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sylvia Lake?
- Sylvia Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 56 ft. Surface area: 85.25 acres.
Is Sylvia 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 Sylvia Lake?
- Sylvia Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in August, from 85 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sylvia Lake?
- Sylvia Lake has a maximum depth of 56 feet. The lake covers 85.25 acres.
What fish are in Sylvia Lake?
- Fish species found in Sylvia Lake include bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), channel catfish, common carp, greater redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Sylvia Lake is located in Stearns County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sylvia Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 23, 2018 caught 0.33 walleye per gill net at Sylvia Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sylvia Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Sylvia Lake thaw?
- Sylvia Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 16. Ice typically forms around Dec 2. The open water season is approximately 230 days.
Are there boat ramps on Sylvia Lake?
- Sylvia Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sylvia Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sylvia Lake?
- Sylvia 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 Sylvia Lake across LakeQuality
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Stearns County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Crow River Watershed, ranked by water quality
Lakes in the Sauk River Watershed, ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Minnesota
State Parks Near Sylvia Lake
Other Lakes in Minnesota
Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Where this data comes from
78 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
MNPCA78 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate