4 miles southeast of Cleveland
Le Sueur County, Minnesota · 44.2721° N, 93.7852° W
Directions to Jefferson Lake (W) Public Water Access SiteApple Maps
Directions open in Google or Apple Maps, to the Minnesota DNR public access sites (3 listed; this is the first).
Updated 15 Oct 2026, 5:05 pm EDT.
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Minnesota DNR lake survey, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Not for navigation.
3 public access sites on Lake Jefferson.
Minnesota DNR public water accesses, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR stocking reports list 19 stockings of Lake Jefferson in 8 of the years 2016 to 2025. The most recent, in 2025, included 25,000 northern pike fry. Species stocked: northern pike, walleye.
Latest: 2025: 87,250 walleye fry.
Source: Minnesota DNR Fisheries (LakeFinder stocking reports), fetched 15 Oct 2026. How we measure
Measured from Minnesota DNR contours. How we measure
Minnesota DNR’s latest standard fish survey of Lake Jefferson (East Jefferson basin) was in July 2024: 9 gill nets and 10 trap nets caught 16 species.
Walleye per gill net, standard surveys: 2002 1.9 · 2008 1.9 · 2018 1.3 · 2021 2.6 · 2024 0.8
Bluegill per trap net, standard surveys: 2002 45 · 2008 16 · 2018 26 · 2021 44 · 2024 30
Walleye: 12 measured, 19 to 28 in, half 23 in or longer; average 4.7 lb, above normal (normal 1.2–2.7 lb).
Northern pike: 80 measured, 12 to 34 in, half 17 in or longer; average 2 lb, normal (normal 2–3.5 lb).
Largemouth bass: 21 measured, 3 to 17 in, half 12 in or longer; average 3.6 lb, above normal (normal 0.2–0.9 lb).
Black crappie: 426 measured, 4 to 12 in, half 9 in or longer; average 0.3 lb, normal (normal 0.2–0.3 lb).
Bluegill: 475 measured, 2 to 8 in, half 7 in or longer; average 0.19 lb, normal (normal 0.1–0.3 lb).
Also caught: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, freshwater drum, hybrid sunfish, longnose gar, yellow bullhead.
Source: Minnesota DNR Fisheries lake survey, 29 Jul 2024, via LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Normal range: DNR’s range for lakes of the same class (43 classes, grouped by water chemistry and shape). Each line has its own scale. How we measure
Measured water clarity averages about 2 ft: the Secchi depth across 10 readings, 2013–2024.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and volunteer Secchi readings, via Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR lake survey; straight-line miles.
Lake Jefferson is 37 feet at its deepest point, measured by Minnesota DNR survey. It covers 2,298 acres.
Yes. 3 public access sites are listed: Jefferson Lake (W) Public Water Access Site; Jefferson Lake (E) Public Water Access Site; Jefferson Lake (SW) Public Water Access Site.
Yes. Minnesota DNR stocking reports list 19 stockings of it in 8 of the years 2016 to 2025. The most recent, in 2025, included 25,000 northern pike fry.
Minnesota DNR’s July 2024 standard survey caught 16 species, most often bluegill, black crappie, northern pike and yellow perch.
About 26% of the lake's area is deeper than 10 feet, measured from Minnesota DNR depth contours.