Welch Lake
Cass County, Minnesota196 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Welch Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 59 ft max depth
- Public access
Welch Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 59 ft. Surface area: 196.06 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 28, 2025 caught 0.73 northern pike per trap net at Welch Lake. DNR survey details →
Welch Lake is a 196-acre mesotrophic lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 59 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 14 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 103 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Welch Lake ranks #86 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Welch Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing14 species recorded
- Deep water59 ft surveyed max depth
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 Welch 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 Welch Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Welch 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 12.5 ft. Phosphorus 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.9 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 11µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.9µg/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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Welch Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Welch Lake typically sits around 56°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 55°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 56°F) and coldest in May (about 49°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (49°F) to its warmest (56°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 187 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 28, 2025 caught 0.73 northern pike per trap net at Welch Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Welch Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
11 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-05-28 (Targeted Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2025-05-28 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 16.04 | 5–10 in 2020-08-17 | 0.14 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 10.03 | 6 in 1995-08-28 | 0.6 lb |
| Bluegill | 8.81 | 2–9 in 2025-05-28 | 0.2 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 5.89 | 6–13 in 2020-08-17 | 1.02 lb |
| Black Crappie | 5.52 | 7–11 in 2025-05-28 | 0.53 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.
Yellow Perch
Black Bullhead
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
From the 2025-05-28 survey
Welch Lake (DOW# 11-0493; Lake Class 31) is a 195-acre lake with 78 littoral acres, 2.30 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 59 feet located near Wilkinson, MN. A DNR owned public access is located on the east shore. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Welch Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WelchFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Welch (1471)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — WelchFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WelchPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
59 ft
Surface area
196 acres
Shoreline
2.2 mi
Littoral zone
40%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Welch Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Welch Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-4.25 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-2.15 µg/L/yr3 years
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Welch Lake
Where is Welch Lake?
- Welch Lake is a lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Welch Lake?
- Welch Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 59 ft. Surface area: 196.06 acres.
Is Welch 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 Welch Lake?
- Welch Lake typically sits around 56°F at the surface in September, from 187 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Welch Lake?
- Welch Lake has a maximum depth of 59 feet. The lake covers 196.06 acres.
What fish are in Welch Lake?
- Fish species found in Welch Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Welch Lake is located in Cass County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Welch Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 28, 2025 caught 0.73 northern pike per trap net at Welch Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Welch Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Welch Lake?
- Public access to Welch 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.
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Where this data comes from
30 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA30 samples · 2023–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder