Bear Head Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota662 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bear Head Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 46 ft max depth
- Public access
Bear Head Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 46 ft. Surface area: 661.98 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 0.07 walleye per fyke net at Bear Head Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–25 inches. DNR survey details →
Bear Head Lake is a 662-acre mesotrophic lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 46 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and green sunfish. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in St. Louis County, Bear Head Lake ranks #26 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bear Head Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing9 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 26
- Deep water46 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow 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. Bear Head Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bear Head 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 Bear Head Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Bear Head 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 11 ft. Phosphorus 19.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.6 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 19.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.6µg/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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Bear Head Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bear Head Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 60°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 62°F) and coldest in Oct (about 51°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (51°F) to its warmest (62°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 692 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bear Head Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 0.07 walleye per fyke net at Bear Head Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bear Head Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
18 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-28 (Targeted Survey).
18 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-28 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 14.75 | 3–9 in 2023-07-31 | 0.17 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 6.80 | 5–10 in 2023-07-31 | 0.77 lb |
| Walleye | 4.73 | 7–25 in 2023-07-31 | 1.8 lb |
| White Sucker | 4.26 | 9–20 in 2023-07-31 | 2.56 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.89 | 5–7 in 2023-07-31 | 0.13 lb |
| Black Crappie | 2.59 | 4–12 in 2023-07-31 | 0.42 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.
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Walleye
White Sucker
From the 2025-07-28 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Bear Head Lake, was conducted on July 28-July 30, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment Program (LBMA) staff. Nearshore sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, and seining with a…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bear Head Lake. 5 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Bear HeadFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Bear Head (1647)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Bear Head (1648)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Bear HeadFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Bear HeadPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
46 ft
Surface area
662 acres
Shoreline
12.1 mi
Littoral zone
56%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
6 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,496 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Bear Head LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bear Head Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Bear Head Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Bear Head Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Stable4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.71 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.48 µg/L/yr4 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 26
Earliest Mar 24, 2012 · Latest May 13, 2013
Most recent ice-out
Apr 29
2025
24 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Bear Head Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN69-0254-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Bear Head Lake
Where is Bear Head Lake?
- Bear Head Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bear Head Lake?
- Bear Head Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 46 ft. Surface area: 661.98 acres.
Is Bear Head Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bear Head Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Bear Head Lake?
- Bear Head Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in October, from 692 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bear Head Lake?
- Bear Head Lake has a maximum depth of 46 feet. The lake covers 661.98 acres.
What fish are in Bear Head Lake?
- Fish species found in Bear Head Lake include black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Bear Head Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bear Head Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 0.07 walleye per fyke net at Bear Head Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–25 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bear Head Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Bear Head Lake thaw?
- Bear Head Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 26.
Are there boat ramps on Bear Head Lake?
- Bear Head Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bear Head Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bear Head Lake?
- Bear Head Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Bear Head Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
86 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA86 samples · 2021–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate