Minnesota Lake Depths
NESW

Kohlmeier Lake

Steele County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey
12ft Max
depth
34 acres 4 contours Public access
Paddling Index56Mixedsheltered geometry
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Kohlmeier Lake is mapped to a depth of 12 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 34 acres in Steele County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1975.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
12 ft
Survey year
1975
Surface area
34 acres
Shoreline
1.12 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation
1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Trailer Launch · Kohlmeier Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site · 1 more
Additional depth details4 contours
Contour depths
0–12 ft
Recorded point soundings
12 ft
Compare with another lake
Location
Rice LakeBeaver LakeKohlmeier Lake (this lake)
Steele County, Minnesota · all 3 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
44.06771, -93.24469
MN DNR lake ID
74001900
Vertical exaggeration
3.0×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
1.9 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25
56 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Kohlmeier Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, well sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingMixed8.6 of 3544% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (1% forest, 35% wetland; 53% developed)
Geometric wind exposureExcellent28.4 of 29mean fetch 496 m · 56% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Motor & speed rulesNot 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 accessGood15.0 of 182 DNR public access sites · boat ramp · fishing pier
Road isolationMixed4.2 of 18nearby higher-volume roads · 32 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 28,235 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
Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
Aquatic vegetation
Low — approximately 1% 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
Moderate — 1% forest and 35% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
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), MN DNR Water Access Sites and Fishing Piers & Shore Fishing Sites (2026-09) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (counts 2020–2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys & active stocking

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

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 2008
1,756Fish sampled
10Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 2 · Northern Pike 2 · Walleye 1

Panfish Bluegill 1,542 · Hybrid Sunfish 41 · Green Sunfish 22

All survey species10 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass2 caught · to 17″
Northern Pike2 caught · to 27″
Walleye1 caught · to 16″

Panfish

Bluegill1,542 caught · to 6″
Hybrid Sunfish41 caught · to 6″
Green Sunfish22 caught · to 5″
Black Crappie10 caught · to 7″

Bullhead & catfish

Black Bullhead81 caught · to 10″
Yellow Bullhead49 caught · to 11″

Forage & nongame

White Sucker6 caught · to 19″
Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 2016–2019

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

Northern Pike210 stocked · 2016–2019 · 3 plantings
Source: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder stocking report. LakeFinder lists the last 10 years of stocking only.

Infested waters listing

Not on the Minnesota DNR’s infested waters list as of September 9, 2026. This does not mean the lake is free of invasive species: the list covers certain species only, and a species can be present before anyone finds it.

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

Kohlmeier Lake — common questions

How deep is Kohlmeier Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Kohlmeier Lake is 12 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 Kohlmeier Lake?

Kohlmeier Lake covers about 34 acres in Steele County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Kohlmeier Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill. The page lists all 10 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Kohlmeier Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists 2 public access sites on Kohlmeier Lake: Kohlmeier Lake Public Water Access Site (boat ramp); Kohlmier Fishing Pier (public fishing pier).

More lakes in Steele County