Ames Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota564 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ames Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 51 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ames Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 51 ft. Surface area: 563.87 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2019 caught 4.33 walleye per gill net at Ames Lake. DNR survey details →
Ames Lake is a 564-acre mesotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 51 feet. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Ames Lake ranks #21 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-10-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ames Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10 ft of visibility
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Deep water51 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ames 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 Ames Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Ames 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 10 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.3 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Ames Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2019 caught 4.33 walleye per gill net at Ames Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ames Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. 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: 2019-08-05 (Standard Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2019-08-05 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 19.66 | 4–11 in 2019-08-05 | 0.19 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 7.42 | 1–6 in 1998-08-10 | 0.13 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 5.46 | ||
| Northern Pike | 4.10 | 13–25 in 2019-08-05 | 1.36 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.
Yellow Perch
Largemouth Bass
Northern Pike
From the 2019-08-05 survey
Whitefish Lake is located 3 miles south of Wirt, MN in the Big Fork River watershed and the Chippewa National Forest. The 2009 lake management plan (LMP) listed Walleye and Northern Pike as primary management species and Black Crappie as secondary management species. A standard lake survey was conducted in August 2019…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ames Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WhitefishFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Whitefish (0680)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WhitefishPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
51 ft
Surface area
564 acres
Shoreline
4.6 mi
Littoral zone
46%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Ames Lake
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Fish Species
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Fishing Ames Lake
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Ames Lake
Where is Ames Lake?
- Ames 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 Ames Lake?
- Ames Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 51 ft. Surface area: 563.87 acres.
Is Ames Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ames Lake?
- Ames Lake has a maximum depth of 51 feet. The lake covers 563.87 acres.
What fish are in Ames Lake?
- Fish species found in Ames Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Ames Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ames Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2019 caught 4.33 walleye per gill net at Ames Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ames Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Ames Lake?
- Public access to Ames Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Ames Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
65 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
LEECHLAK_WQX65 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder