Amen Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota215 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Amen Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 75 ft max depth
- Limited data
Amen Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 75 ft. Surface area: 214.65 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 20, 1987 caught 7.20 northern pike per gill net at Amen Lake. DNR survey details →
Amen Lake is a 215-acre lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 75 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-08-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Amen Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14 ft of visibility
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 21
- Deep water75 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Amen 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.
Water quality measurements for Amen Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Amen Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No 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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Amen Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 20, 1987 caught 7.20 northern pike per gill net at Amen Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Amen Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1987-07-20 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1987-07-20 (Standard Survey)
39 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 13.76 | 0.14 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 7.01 | 1.56 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 6.54 | 0.11 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 6.45 | 0.14 lb | |
| Yellow Bullhead | 5.00 | 0.55 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 4.59 | 0.38 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.
From the 1987-07-20 survey
ALL FISH SPECIES SAMPLED APPEAR TO BE WITHIN THE NORMAL RANGE AND THE CATCH OF MOST SPECIES ARE WELL ABOVE STATE AND LOCAL MEDIANS.
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Amen Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — AmenFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Amen (0813)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
75 ft
Surface area
215 acres
Shoreline
4.9 mi
Littoral zone
50%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,352 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Amen Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Amen Lake in Itasca 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 Amen Lake
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Follow Amen Lake’s readings
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Fishing Amen Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 21
Earliest Apr 12, 2015 · Latest May 3, 2008
Typical ice-in
Nov 22
Earliest Nov 8, 2002 · Latest Nov 29, 2006
Most recent ice-out
Apr 12
2015
11 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Amen Lake
Where is Amen Lake?
- Amen Lake is a lake in Itasca County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Amen Lake?
- Amen Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 75 ft. Surface area: 214.65 acres.
Is Amen Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Amen Lake?
- Amen Lake has a maximum depth of 75 feet. The lake covers 214.65 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Amen Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 20, 1987 caught 7.20 northern pike per gill net at Amen Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Amen Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Amen Lake thaw?
- Amen Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 21. Ice typically forms around Nov 22. The open water season is approximately 215 days.
Can I fish at Amen Lake?
- Public access to Amen 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.
Explore Amen Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
15 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA15 samples · 2020–2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate