Arrowhead Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota296 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Arrowhead Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- zebra mussel
- 13 ft max depth
Arrowhead Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 27 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 296.37 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 3, 2024 caught 21.00 northern pike per gill net at Arrowhead Lake. DNR survey details →
Arrowhead Lake is a 296-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 13 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Arrowhead Lake ranks #71 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Arrowhead Lake covers about 300 acres in Crow Wing County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Arrowhead Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Arrowhead Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing16 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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 Arrowhead 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 Arrowhead Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Arrowhead Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft. Phosphorus 27 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.7 µg/L. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 27µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.7µg/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. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Arrowhead Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Arrowhead Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was moderate (40,179 cells/mL) on May 10, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 3, 2024 caught 21.00 northern pike per gill net at Arrowhead Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Arrowhead Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-06-03 (Standard Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2024-06-03 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Shiner | 113.76 | 5–6 in 2024-06-03 | 0.06 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 28.40 | 4–8 in 2024-06-03 | 0.14 lb |
| Bluegill | 22.24 | 3–10 in 2024-06-03 | 0.23 lb |
| Black Crappie | 15.71 | 10–13 in 2024-06-03 | 0.53 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 8.77 | 11 in 2018-06-04 | 0.65 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.
Golden Shiner
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Black Crappie
From the 2024-06-03 survey
Northern pike were sampled in high numbers at 21.0/net. Average length was 20.5", with 13% measuring 26" or larger. Fish up to 32.9" were sampled. Walleyes are not stocked into Arrowhead but are stocked annually as fry and every other year as fingerlings into the Whitefish Chain. Only one Walleye measuring 26.3" was…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Arrowhead Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ArrowheadFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
13 ft
Surface area
296 acres
Shoreline
4.1 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,224 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Arrowhead Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Arrowhead Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Arrowhead Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-3.09 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.08 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Arrowhead Lake
Where is Arrowhead Lake?
- Arrowhead Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Arrowhead Lake?
- Arrowhead Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 27 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 13 ft. Surface area: 296.37 acres.
Is Arrowhead Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Arrowhead Lake?
- Arrowhead Lake has a maximum depth of 13 feet. The lake covers 296.37 acres.
What fish are in Arrowhead Lake?
- Fish species found in Arrowhead Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, silver redhorse, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Arrowhead Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Arrowhead Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 3, 2024 caught 21.00 northern pike per gill net at Arrowhead Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Arrowhead Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Does Arrowhead Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Arrowhead Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was moderate (40,179 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Arrowhead Lake?
- Public access to Arrowhead 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 Arrowhead Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
89 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA89 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
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