Big Wolf Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota1,076 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Wolf Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- zebra mussel
- 57 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Big Wolf Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21 µg/L. Maximum depth: 57 ft. Surface area: 1076.16 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 10, 2019 caught 6.25 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Big Wolf Lake. DNR survey details →
Big Wolf Lake is a 1,076-acre mesotrophic lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 57 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 18 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in Hubbard County, Big Wolf Lake ranks #59 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Big Wolf Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing18 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 25
- Deep water57 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,076 acres
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. Big Wolf Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Big Wolf 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 Big Wolf Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Big Wolf 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 11.5 ft. Phosphorus 21 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 21µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Big Wolf Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Big Wolf Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 62°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 64°F) and coldest in May (about 49°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (49°F) to its warmest (64°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 276 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Big Wolf Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 10, 2019 caught 6.25 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Big Wolf Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Big Wolf 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
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-07 (Targeted Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-07 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 38.46 | 4–10 in 2019-07-08 | 0.17 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 30.99 | ||
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 7.11 | 14–17 in 2019-07-08 | 1.08 lb |
| Walleye | 6.33 | 7–23 in 2019-07-08 | 1.41 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
Tullibee (Cisco)
Walleye
From the 2025-08-07 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Wolf Lake, which is located partially within the Leech Lake Reservation, on August 7th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (oxythermal habitat) available to coldwater fish species such as Cisco,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Big Wolf Lake. 5 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WolfFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Wolf (1277)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Wolf (1724)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — WolfFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WolfPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
57 ft
Surface area
1,076 acres
Shoreline
8 mi
Littoral zone
36%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Big Wolf Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Big Wolf 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: Stable
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.44 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-3.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 25
Earliest Apr 5, 2021 · Latest May 7, 2022
Typical ice-in
Dec 1
Earliest Nov 28, 2023 · Latest Dec 7, 2021
Most recent ice-out
Apr 25
2025
13 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Big Wolf 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 MN04-0079-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hubbard County
Frequently asked questions about Big Wolf Lake
Where is Big Wolf Lake?
- Big Wolf Lake is a lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Big Wolf Lake?
- Big Wolf Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21 µg/L. Maximum depth: 57 ft. Surface area: 1076.16 acres.
Is Big Wolf Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Big Wolf 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 Big Wolf Lake?
- Big Wolf Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October, from 276 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Big Wolf Lake?
- Big Wolf Lake has a maximum depth of 57 feet. The lake covers 1076.16 acres.
What fish are in Big Wolf Lake?
- Fish species found in Big Wolf Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, burbot, greater redhorse, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Big Wolf Lake is located in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Big Wolf Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 10, 2019 caught 6.25 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Big Wolf Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Big Wolf 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 Big Wolf Lake thaw?
- Big Wolf Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 25. Ice typically forms around Dec 1. The open water season is approximately 220 days.
Can I fish at Big Wolf Lake?
- Public access to Big Wolf 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 Big Wolf Lake across LakeQuality
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Compare Big Wolf Lake With Nearby Lakes
Beltrami County · 3.5 ft
Beltrami County · 9 ft
Cass County · 7 ft
Hubbard County · 18 ft
Beltrami County · 15 ft
Hubbard County · 11.2 ft
Where this data comes from
24 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
LEECHLAK_WQX24 samples · 2024–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Nitrate-Nitrite Nitrogen by Colorimetry
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate