Watab Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota97 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Watab Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- zebra mussel
- 54 ft max depth
- Limited data
Watab Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 96.64 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 18, 2008 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Watab Lake. DNR survey details →
Watab Lake is a 97-acre lake in Stearns County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 54 feet (19-foot average). The lake supports 14 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-08-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Watab Lake covers about 97 acres in Stearns County. The median ice-out date is April 10, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Watab Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Watab Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing14 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 10
- Deep water54 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 Watab 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 Watab Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Watab 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 5 µg/L. TSI 35.
| 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 | 5µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Watab Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 18, 2008 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Watab Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Watab Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. 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: 2008-08-18 (Standard Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2008-08-18 (Standard Survey)
18 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 30.81 | 2–19 in 2008-08-18 | 0.6 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 27.11 | 0.26 lb | |
| Bluegill | 7.85 | 1–6 in 2008-08-18 | 0.19 lb |
| Black Crappie | 4.89 | 6–7 in 2008-08-18 | 0.25 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.46 | 3 in 2008-08-18 | 0.05 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 3.92 | 2–17 in 2008-08-18 | 1.78 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.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Black Crappie
Pumpkinseed
From the 2008-08-18 survey
Watab-Rossier Lakes are located in Stearns County, two miles north of the City of St. Joseph. The lakes are relatively deep, and the Watab River flows through them on its way to the Mississippi. Watab (Long) is a recreational development lake while Rossier (Rose) is a natural environment lake. There is a private…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Watab Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WatabFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
54 ft
Average depth
19.4 ft
Surface area
97 acres
Shoreline
3 mi
Littoral zone
34%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
72 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,043 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Watab Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Watab 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 Watab 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 Watab Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Watab 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.
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 10
Earliest Mar 12, 2024 · Latest May 3, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 26
Earliest Nov 5, 1996 · Latest Dec 19, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Mar 29
2025
82 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Watab Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger.
- Cmp Sartell Llc Sartell MillSartell · 4.7 mi away · NPDES MN0000973Major
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Stearns County
Frequently asked questions about Watab Lake
Where is Watab Lake?
- Watab 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 Watab Lake?
- Watab Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 96.64 acres.
Is Watab Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Watab Lake?
- Watab Lake has a maximum depth of 54 feet and an average depth of 19.4 feet. The lake covers 96.64 acres.
What fish are in Watab Lake?
- Fish species found in Watab Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead. Watab Lake is located in Stearns County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Watab Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 18, 2008 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Watab Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Watab Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Watab Lake thaw?
- Watab Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 10. Ice typically forms around Nov 26. The open water season is approximately 230 days.
Can I fish at Watab Lake?
- Public access to Watab 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
3 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA3 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate