Twin Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota492 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Twin Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 30 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Twin Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 491.76 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2018 caught 1.67 walleye per gill net at Twin Lake. DNR survey details →
Twin Lake is a 492-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 30 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Twin Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 14
- Deep water30 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 Twin 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 Twin Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Twin Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.5ft | 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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Twin Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Twin Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 82°F) and coldest in May (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (63°F) to its warmest (82°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 28 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Twin Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (356,451 cells/mL) on April 3, 2021.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2018 caught 1.67 walleye per gill net at Twin Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Twin 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
4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2018-08-06 (Standard Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2018-08-06 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 18.62 | 2–7 in 2018-08-06 | 0.15 lb |
| Black Crappie | 13.38 | 4–11 in 2018-08-06 | 0.19 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 5.92 | 10–17 in 2018-08-06 | 1.09 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 5.17 | 5–8 in 2018-08-06 | 0.12 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 3.44 | 8–13 in 2018-08-06 | 0.78 lb |
| Northern Pike | 1.93 | 8–32 in 2018-08-06 | 3.22 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
Black Crappie
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Perch
From the 2018-08-06 survey
Ross Lake is a 487 acre lake located in northeast Crow Wing County. A public access is located off the northeast corner of the lake. Ross has bog stained water, with a secchi disk reading of 4.0'. Much of the lakeshore is undeveloped and provides critical areas for fish spawning as well as providing habitat for fish…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Twin Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RossFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Ross (0398)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — RossPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Surface area
492 acres
Shoreline
6.6 mi
Littoral zone
64%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,247 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Twin Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Twin Lake in Crow Wing 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 Twin Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Twin Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.25 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-6.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 14
Earliest Mar 23, 2012 · Latest May 1, 1996
Typical ice-in
Nov 21
Earliest Nov 15, 2014 · Latest Dec 1, 2007
Most recent ice-out
Apr 9
2015
34 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Twin Lake
Where is Twin Lake?
- Twin Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Twin Lake?
- Twin Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 491.76 acres.
Is Twin 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 Twin Lake?
- Twin Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September, from 28 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Twin Lake?
- Twin Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake covers 491.76 acres.
What fish are in Twin Lake?
- Fish species found in Twin Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Twin Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Twin Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2018 caught 1.67 walleye per gill net at Twin Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Twin 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 Twin Lake thaw?
- Twin Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 14. Ice typically forms around Nov 21. The open water season is approximately 221 days.
Does Twin Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Twin Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (356,451 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Twin Lake?
- Public access to Twin Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Twin Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
132 measurements from 2 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
MNPCA132 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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