Bear Trap Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota121 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bear Trap Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 38 ft max depth
- Limited data
Bear Trap Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 38 ft. Surface area: 121.47 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 1973 caught 11.00 walleye per gill net at Bear Trap Lake. DNR survey details →
Bear Trap Lake is a 121-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 38 feet. Overall water quality is improving 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 2025-05-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bear Trap Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Deep water38 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 Bear Trap 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 Trap Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Bear Trap 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 8.2 ft. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.2ft | 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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Bear Trap Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 1973 caught 11.00 walleye per gill net at Bear Trap Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bear Trap Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-02 (Targeted Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-02 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 25.50 | 0.75 lb | |
| Walleye | 11.00 | 1.2 lb | |
| White Sucker | 3.25 | 2.3 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 2.75 | 2.26 lb | |
| Green Sunfish | 0.50 | 0.15 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 2025-08-02 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Bear Trap Lake on August 2nd, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Bear Trap Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Bear TrapFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
38 ft
Surface area
121 acres
Shoreline
2.9 mi
Littoral zone
28%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,358 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
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Stays near Bear Trap Lake
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Fishing Bear Trap Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Bear Trap Lake
Where is Bear Trap Lake?
- Bear Trap 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 Trap Lake?
- Bear Trap Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 38 ft. Surface area: 121.47 acres.
Is Bear Trap Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bear Trap Lake?
- Bear Trap Lake has a maximum depth of 38 feet. The lake covers 121.47 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Bear Trap Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 1973 caught 11.00 walleye per gill net at Bear Trap Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Bear Trap Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Bear Trap Lake?
- Public access to Bear Trap 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.
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Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA3 samples · 2021–2025
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