Lake Margaret

Cass County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

25ft Max
depth

243 acres 5 contours

Paddling Index58MixedMedium confidencesheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

0510152025

The lake

Survey readout

Lake Margaret is mapped to a depth of 25 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 243 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: 25 ft
Survey year: 1958
Surface area: 243 acres
Shoreline: 5.09 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 10% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–25 ft
Recorded point soundings: 25 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: 46.49397, -94.36381
MN DNR lake ID: 11022200
Vertical exaggeration: 2.83×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

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

58 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Lake Margaret has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	27.8 of 43	71% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (46% forest, 24% wetland; 21% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	24.1 of 36	mean fetch 889 m · 3% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short 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	Mixed	6.5 of 21	nearby higher-volume roads · 9 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 3,596 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: Moderate — 46% forest and 24% 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 2020–2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

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

Common Carp

Greater Redhorse

White Sucker

Hybrid Sunfish

Golden Shiner

About these fish → the Fish of Minnesota guide

Compiled from Minnesota DNR fishery surveys. 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 2025

534Fish sampled

16Species

Gamefish Northern Pike 58 · Walleye 11 · Bowfin 8 · Largemouth Bass 4

Panfish Bluegill 221 · Yellow Perch 109 · Black Crappie 17

All survey species16 species

Gamefish

Northern Pike58 caught · to 36″

Walleye11 caught · to 27″

Bowfin8 caught · to 29″

Largemouth Bass4 caught · to 17″

Panfish

Bluegill221 caught · to 8″

Yellow Perch109 caught · to 8″

Black Crappie17 caught · to 9″

Pumpkinseed16 caught · to 7″

Hybrid Sunfish5 caught · to 8″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead53 caught · to 14″

Brown Bullhead1 caught · to 11″

Forage & nongame

White Sucker17 caught · to 19″

Cisco8 caught · to 19″

Common Carp4 caught · to 28″

Golden Shiner1 caught · to 5″

Greater Redhorse1 caught · to 22″

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

Infested waters listing

listed via connection

Mussels & snails

Zebra MusselListed in 2010 because this water is connected to Gull (11-0305). The species has not necessarily been found in this lake.

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

Lake Margaret — common questions

How deep is Lake Margaret?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Lake Margaret is 25 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 Lake Margaret?

Lake Margaret covers about 243 acres in Cass County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Lake Margaret?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin. The page lists all 16 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Lake Margaret?

No public launch for Lake Margaret 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.