Minnesota Lake Depths
NESW

South Farm Lake

Lake County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey
25ft Max
depth
564 acres 5 contours
Paddling Index72GoodMedium confidencewooded shoreline · away from major roads
Get directions

Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

South Farm Lake is mapped to a depth of 25 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 564 acres in Lake County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1965.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
25 ft
Survey year
1965
Surface area
564 acres
Shoreline
7.94 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
3% 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, 15 ft
Compare with another lake
Chart data

Provenance

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

⚠ Not for navigation

Spot an error? Send a correction

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
47.89143, -91.69225
MN DNR lake ID
38077800
Vertical exaggeration
2.83×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.6 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25
72 / 100GoodData confidence: Medium

South Farm Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, moderate open-water exposure, limited nearby major-road exposure.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingExcellent39.5 of 4392% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (79% forest, 12% wetland; 1% developed)
Geometric wind exposureGood15.9 of 36mean fetch 1,533 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
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 accessNot 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 isolationVery Good16.4 of 21limited nearby major-road exposure · 1 MnDOT-classified segment within 1.2 km, peak 272 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 3% 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 — 79% forest and 12% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Wilderness
Inside the BWCAW — This lake lies inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Federal wilderness rules apply: visitor permits are required, and motors are allowed only on certain lakes, with horsepower limits. Check Superior National Forest rules before going. · MN DNR BWCAW boundary (Public Law 95-495)
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 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 2023
381Fish sampled
10Species

Gamefish Northern Pike 46 · Walleye 44

Panfish Bluegill 45 · Black Crappie 40 · Yellow Perch 39

All survey species10 species

Gamefish

Northern Pike46 caught · to 36″
Walleye44 caught · to 24″

Panfish

Bluegill45 caught · to 9″
Black Crappie40 caught · to 14″
Yellow Perch39 caught · to 11″
Rock Bass5 caught · to 8″

Forage & nongame

Cisco122 caught · to 13″
White Sucker37 caught · to 20″
Burbot2 caught · to 14″
Golden Shiner1 caught · to 5″
Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 2017–2023

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

Walleye30,105 stocked · 2017–2023 · 4 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

South Farm Lake — common questions

How deep is South Farm Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of South Farm Lake 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 South Farm Lake?

South Farm Lake covers about 564 acres in Lake County, Minnesota.

What fish are in South Farm Lake?

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

Is there public access to South Farm Lake?

No public launch for South Farm Lake 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.