Boy Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota43 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Boy Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 42 ft max depth
- Limited data
Boy Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 42.87 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 29, 1983 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Boy Lake. DNR survey details →
Boy Lake is a 43-acre lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 42 feet. Overall water quality is declining 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 2022-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Boy Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.8 ft of visibility
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 16
- Deep water42 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 Boy 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 Boy Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Boy 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 11.8 ft. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.8ft | 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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Boy Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 29, 1983 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Boy Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Boy Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1983-06-29 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1983-06-29 (Standard Survey)
43 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 31.75 | 0.17 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 5.50 | 1.04 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 3.88 | 0.34 lb | |
| Walleye | 0.50 | 1 lb | |
| Brown Bullhead | 0.25 | 0.4 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 1983-06-29 survey
BULLHEAD AND NORTHERN PIKE POPULATIONS ARE AT QUITE HIGH LEVELS. THE FISH SPECIES COMPLEX IS INDICATIVE OF PERIODIC WINTERKILL IN THE LAKE.
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Boy Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BoyFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Boy (0735)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
42 ft
Surface area
43 acres
Shoreline
1.3 mi
Littoral zone
23%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Boy Lake
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Fishing Boy Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 16
Earliest Mar 24, 2012 · Latest Apr 28, 2008
Typical ice-in
Nov 16
Earliest Nov 10, 2018 · Latest Nov 29, 2007
Most recent ice-out
Mar 24
2012
16 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Boy Lake
Where is Boy Lake?
- Boy 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 Boy Lake?
- Boy Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 42 ft. Surface area: 42.87 acres.
Is Boy Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Boy Lake?
- Boy Lake has a maximum depth of 42 feet. The lake covers 42.87 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Boy Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 29, 1983 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Boy Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Boy Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Boy Lake thaw?
- Boy Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 16. Ice typically forms around Nov 16. The open water season is approximately 214 days.
Can I fish at Boy Lake?
- Public access to Boy 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
2 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA1 sample · 2022 - Minnesota Department of Agriculture - Pesticide Monitoring
MNDA_PESTICIDE1 sample · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate