Tarry Lake
Cook County, Minnesota244 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Tarry Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 66 ft max depth
- Limited data
Tarry Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 66 ft. Surface area: 244.35 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 2016 caught 4.00 lake trout per gill net at Tarry Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–22 inches. DNR survey details →
Tarry Lake is a 244-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 66 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including burbot, lake trout, and white sucker. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-07-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Tarry Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13 ft of visibility
- Fishing3 species recorded
- Deep water66 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 Tarry 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 Tarry Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Tarry 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 13 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13ft | 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. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Tarry Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 2016 caught 4.00 lake trout per gill net at Tarry Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–22 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Tarry Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-08-06 (Targeted Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2024-08-06 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Trout | 3.34 | 8–22 in 2016-06-21 | 2.34 lb |
| White Sucker | 2.34 | 6–20 in 2016-06-21 | 2.19 lb |
| Northern Pike | 0.20 | 20 in 1997-07-16 | 1.73 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.
Lake Trout
White Sucker
Northern Pike
From the 2024-08-06 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected in the deepest basin in Crooked Lake on August 6, 2024, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Trout, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake. During the summer, Lake…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Tarry Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CrookedFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
66 ft
Surface area
244 acres
Shoreline
9.1 mi
Littoral zone
45%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
25 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,617 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Tarry Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Tarry Lake in Cook 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 Tarry Lake
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Follow Tarry Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Tarry Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Tarry Lake
Where is Tarry Lake?
- Tarry Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Tarry Lake?
- Tarry Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 66 ft. Surface area: 244.35 acres.
Is Tarry Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Tarry Lake?
- Tarry Lake has a maximum depth of 66 feet. The lake covers 244.35 acres.
What fish are in Tarry Lake?
- Fish species found in Tarry Lake include burbot, lake trout, white sucker. Tarry Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Tarry Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 21, 2016 caught 4.00 lake trout per gill net at Tarry Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–22 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Tarry Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Tarry Lake?
- Public access to Tarry 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 Tarry 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 Cook County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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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 Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA1 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder