Velvet Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota167 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Velvet Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 29 ft max depth
Velvet Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 29 ft. Surface area: 166.87 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 1985 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Velvet Lake. DNR survey details →
Velvet Lake is a 167-acre mesotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 29 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Velvet Lake ranks #24 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Velvet Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 16
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 Velvet 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 Velvet Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Velvet 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 10.5 ft. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.5 µg/L. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.5µg/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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Velvet Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Velvet Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in May (about 57°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (57°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 38 field readings (2017–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Velvet Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 1985 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Velvet Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Velvet Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. 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: 1985-08-21 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1985-08-21 (Standard Survey)
41 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 14.50 | 0.11 lb | |
| Yellow Bullhead | 10.16 | 0.53 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 2.83 | 0.19 lb | |
| Largemouth Bass | 2.33 | 0.38 lb | |
| Walleye | 2.00 | 3.67 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.00 | 0.17 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 1985-08-21 survey
NORTHERN PIKE ABUNDANCE IS LOW (2.3 GILLNET) BUT A GOOD LENGTH FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION EXISTS AND THE GROWTH RATE IS GOOD. YELLOW BULLHEAD ABUNDANCE IS GOOD WITH ALL SIZE CLASSES PRESENT. BLUEGILL ABUNDANCE IS MODERATE, GROWTH RATE SLOW, THE SIZE SMALL AND MAJORITY OF THE BLUEGILLS BELONG TO THE III, IV OR V YEAR CLASS…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Velvet Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — VelvetFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — VelvetFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
29 ft
Surface area
167 acres
Shoreline
1.9 mi
Littoral zone
48%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
14 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,214 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Velvet Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Velvet 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 Velvet Lake
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Fishing Velvet Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.19 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.63 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 16
Earliest Mar 29, 2016 · Latest Apr 26, 2014
Typical ice-in
Nov 19
Earliest Nov 3, 2002 · Latest Nov 30, 2007
Most recent ice-out
Mar 29
2016
14 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Velvet Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Velvet Lake (completed 1937), built primarily for recreation on the Pine River; gravity-type dam, 8 ft tall and 30 ft long.
- Surface area
- 160 ac
- Normal storage
- 525 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,050 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00050 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Velvet Lake
Where is Velvet Lake?
- Velvet 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 Velvet Lake?
- Velvet Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 29 ft. Surface area: 166.87 acres.
Is Velvet 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 Velvet Lake?
- Velvet Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 38 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Velvet Lake?
- Velvet Lake has a maximum depth of 29 feet. The lake covers 166.87 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Velvet Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 1985 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Velvet Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Velvet Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Velvet Lake thaw?
- Velvet Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 16. Ice typically forms around Nov 19. The open water season is approximately 217 days.
Can I fish at Velvet Lake?
- Public access to Velvet 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 Velvet Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
86 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
MNPCA86 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate