Broadwater Bay

Cass County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

40ft Max
depth

775 acres 5 contours

Paddling Index61MixedMedium confidenceaway from major roads · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

01015203040

The lake

Survey readout

Broadwater Bay is mapped to a depth of 40 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 775 acres in Cass County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1958.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 40 ft
Survey year: 1958
Surface area: 775 acres
Shoreline: 9.17 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 10% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–40 ft
Recorded point soundings: 40 ft, 15 ft, 10 ft

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Location

Cass County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 123 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MN DNR Lake Bathymetric Contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 46.98023, -94.27093
MN DNR lake ID: 11020101
Vertical exaggeration: 2.32×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25

61 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Broadwater Bay has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, limited nearby major-road exposure.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	32.5 of 43	79% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (48% forest, 29% wetland; 15% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	15.0 of 36	mean fetch 1,649 m · 6% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
Motor & speed rules	Not modeled	—	Minnesota’s lake-by-lake motor, speed and no-wake rules are mostly county and city ordinances, not map data, so they are not part of the Minnesota index. Check local signage and ordinances before going out.
Public access	Not listed	—	No public access site of this lake’s own in the MN DNR water access and fishing site records. Private, commercial and informal launches are not all in these records, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Very Good	13.6 of 21	limited nearby major-road exposure · 3 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,050 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 10% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: High — 48% forest and 29% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Minnesota lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public land-cover, access and traffic-count data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights for Minnesota lakes: natural setting 35%, geometric wind exposure 29%, public access 18%, road isolation 18%. Motor, speed and no-wake rules are not modeled for Minnesota, and traffic counts cover state, county and some city roads but not township roads. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Minnesota scores are relative to other Minnesota lakes and are not directly comparable with Paddling Index scores on our sister sites, which use different data sources, some with a watercraft-rules component. Sources: MN DNR lake bathymetry outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (counts 2015–2019). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys & active stocking

19 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

White Sucker

Shorthead Redhorse

Hybrid Sunfish

Sunfish

About these fish → the Fish of Minnesota guide

Compiled from Minnesota DNR fishery surveys and Minnesota DNR stockings within the last 10 years. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Fishery

surveyed 1986

1,464Fish sampled

19Species

Gamefish Northern Pike 95 · Walleye 34 · Largemouth Bass 10 · Bowfin 5

Panfish Bluegill 622 · Yellow Perch 216 · Pumpkinseed 120

All survey species19 species

Gamefish

Northern Pike95 caught

Walleye34 caught

Largemouth Bass10 caught

Bowfin5 caught

Smallmouth Bass1 caught

Panfish

Bluegill622 caught

Yellow Perch216 caught

Pumpkinseed120 caught

Rock Bass56 caught

Black Crappie10 caught

Hybrid Sunfish2 caught

Bullhead & catfish

Black Bullhead120 caught

Yellow Bullhead103 caught

Brown Bullhead46 caught

Forage & nongame

Cisco13 caught

Sunfish5 caught

Shorthead Redhorse3 caught

White Sucker2 caught

Burbot1 caught

This survey reported catch counts without lengths. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 2016–2025

Fish the Minnesota DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.

Walleye8,819,185 stocked · 2016–2025 · 9 plantings

Source: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder stocking report for the whole lake (DOW 11020100). LakeFinder lists the last 10 years of stocking only.

Infested waters listing

1 confirmed

Mussels & snails

Zebra MusselConfirmed in this water in 2021 (listed 2021).

How to identify invasive species in Minnesota lakes →

What does the infested waters list mean?

The Minnesota DNR lists a lake, river, pond or wetland as infested when it contains an aquatic invasive species that could spread to other waters, or when it is connected to a water where one is present. Activities such as bait harvest and water use are managed differently on infested waters. Check the current list before moving water, bait or equipment.

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. List of Infested Waters, September 9, 2026. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html

Quick answers

Broadwater Bay — common questions

How deep is Broadwater Bay?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Broadwater Bay is 40 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Broadwater Bay?

Broadwater Bay covers about 775 acres in Cass County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Broadwater Bay?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include burbot, largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, black bullhead. The page lists all 19 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Broadwater Bay?

No public launch for Broadwater Bay appears in the Minnesota DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- private and commercial launches are not in that source.