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Ahsub Lake

Lake County, Minnesota60 acresView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ahsub Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
16.5 ft
Clearer than most
Secchi · sampled 2025
Max depth
78 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
60 acres
Surface area
Trend
Worsening
5 years of samples
Shoreline
2.5 mi
Measured length
  • 78 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Ahsub Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 78 ft. Surface area: 60.33 acres.

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 16, 2024 caught 0.25 northern pike per gill net at Ahsub Lake. DNR survey details →

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Ahsub Lake is a 60-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 78 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including bluegill, hybrid sunfish, and northern pike. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Ahsub Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water16.5 ft of visibility
  • Fishing6 species recorded
  • Deep water78 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Ahsub Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.

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Water quality measurements for Ahsub Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Ahsub Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Crystal clear, you can see 16.5 ft down. TSI 37.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)16.5ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo reading

The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential.

Chlorophyll-a (algae)No reading

The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water.

Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.37Oligotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.

Ask about Ahsub Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

DNR fisheries survey

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 16, 2024 caught 0.25 northern pike per gill net at Ahsub Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ahsub Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-09-16 (Standard Survey).

8 surveys on file · most recent 2024-09-16 (Standard Survey)

SpeciesCatch rate (CPUE)SizeAvg weight
White Sucker
12.38
10–21 in
2024-09-16
1.54 lb
Bluegill
7.75
3–5 in
2024-09-16
0.07 lb
Brook Trout
5.42
6–18 in
2005-05-31
0.67 lb
Yellow Perch
2.75
6–7 in
2024-09-16
0.13 lb
Hybrid Sunfish
1.50
3–6 in
2024-09-16
0.08 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.

Length Distributions

Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.

White Sucker

26 fish · 10–21 in · 2024-09-16
1050101112131415161718192021

Bluegill

31 fish · 3–5 in · 2024-09-16
1890345

Brook Trout

11 fish · 6–18 in · 2005-05-31
530trophy 18″6789101112131415161718

Yellow Perch

11 fish · 6–7 in · 2024-09-16
74067

From the 2024-09-16 survey

Ahsub is a 60-acre designated stream trout lake located 24 miles northeast of Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It is deep, clear, and rather unproductive. Two windstorms have torn down much of the forest surrounding the lake, but a few scattered mature trees punctuate the regenerating hardwoods and…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ahsub Lake. 1 report on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Lake Details

Max depth

78 ft

Surface area

60 acres

Shoreline

2.5 mi

Littoral zone

36%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

No

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

0 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,509 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Ahsub Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ahsub Lake in Lake County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near Ahsub Lake

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Fish Species

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Ahsub Lake

Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).

  • Water clarity

    Worsening

    5 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Lake County

Frequently asked questions about Ahsub Lake

Where is Ahsub Lake?

Ahsub Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Ahsub Lake?

Ahsub Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 78 ft. Surface area: 60.33 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Ahsub Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Ahsub Lake?

Ahsub Lake has a maximum depth of 78 feet. The lake covers 60.33 acres.

What fish are in Ahsub Lake?

Fish species found in Ahsub Lake include bluegill, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, smallmouth bass, white sucker, yellow perch. Ahsub Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.

Fish on this page ↑

What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ahsub Lake?

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 16, 2024 caught 0.25 northern pike per gill net at Ahsub Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ahsub Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR on this page ↑

Can I fish at Ahsub Lake?

Public access to Ahsub Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.

Oligotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

5 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA5 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (3)

EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.

Other records on this page

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder