Brule Lake
Cook County, Minnesota4,327 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Brule Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 78 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Brule Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 78 ft. Surface area: 4326.71 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2019 caught 5.29 walleye per gill net at Brule Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–24 inches. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Brule Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 60 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Brule Lake is a 4,327-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 78 feet (35-foot average). The lake supports 6 documented fish species including cisco species, northern pike, and smallmouth bass. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-08-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Brule Lake covers about 4,300 acres in Cook County. The median ice-out date is May 5, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Brule Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Brule Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10 ft of visibility
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around May 5
- Deep water78 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water4,327 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Brule Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Brule 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 Brule Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Brule 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 10 ft. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10ft | 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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Brule Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2019 caught 5.29 walleye per gill net at Brule Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–24 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Brule Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-08-24 (Targeted Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2023-08-24 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 9.54 | 9–19 in 2009-09-08 | 0.94 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.40 | 2–6 in 2019-09-09 | 0.08 lb |
| Walleye | 2.55 | 7–24 in 2019-09-09 | 1.39 lb |
| White Sucker | 2.49 | 7–23 in 2019-09-09 | 3.05 lb |
| Northern Pike | 0.78 | 16–24 in 2019-09-09 | 1.85 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.
Tullibee (Cisco)
Yellow Perch
Walleye
White Sucker
From the 2023-08-24 survey
A temperature-dissolved oxygen profile was collected in the deepest basin on Brule Lake on August 24th, 2023, to evaluate the amount of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee. Based on the profile, the top of the thermocline (i.e., the location in the water column…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Brule Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BruleFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BrulePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
78 ft
Average depth
35 ft
Surface area
4,327 acres
Shoreline
63.1 mi
Littoral zone
33%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
32 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,831 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Brule Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Brule Lake in Cook County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Brule Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Brule Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Brule Lake
Ice season
Typical ice-out
May 5
Earliest Apr 12, 2010 · Latest May 14, 2008
Most recent ice-out
Apr 12
2010
8 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Brule 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 MN16-0348-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Brule Lake
Where is Brule Lake?
- Brule Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Brule Lake?
- Brule Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 78 ft. Surface area: 4326.71 acres.
Is Brule Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Brule Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Brule Lake?
- Brule Lake has a maximum depth of 78 feet and an average depth of 35 feet. The lake covers 4326.71 acres.
What fish are in Brule Lake?
- Fish species found in Brule Lake include cisco species, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Brule Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Brule Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2019 caught 5.29 walleye per gill net at Brule Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–24 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Brule Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Brule Lake thaw?
- Brule Lake typically has ice-out around May 5.
Can I fish at Brule Lake?
- Public access to Brule 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 Brule Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Cook County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA3 samples · 2020–2024
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate