Busties Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota245 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Busties Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 44 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Busties Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 44 ft. Surface area: 245.14 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 5, 2022 caught 0.11 walleye per trap net at Busties Lake. DNR survey details →
Busties Lake is a 245-acre mesotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 44 feet. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Busties Lake ranks #32 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Busties Lake covers about 250 acres in Itasca County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Busties Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Busties Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.3 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing11 species recorded
- Deep water44 ft surveyed max depth
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Busties 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 Busties Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Busties 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 10.3 ft. Phosphorus 15.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.4 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.4µg/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 Busties Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 5, 2022 caught 0.11 walleye per trap net at Busties Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Busties Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-07-05 (Targeted Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2022-07-05 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 17.19 | 2–8 in 2022-07-05 | 0.44 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 10.80 | 4–8 in 2021-07-06 | 0.14 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 6.68 | 6–17 in 2022-07-05 | 1.46 lb |
| Black Crappie | 5.72 | 5–11 in 2022-07-05 | 0.44 lb |
| Northern Pike | 5.10 | 15–30 in 2022-07-05 | 1.79 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
Yellow Perch
Largemouth Bass
Black Crappie
From the 2022-07-05 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Busties Lake was conducted on July 5-7, 2022 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Busties Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BustiesFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Busties (0649)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — BustiesFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BustiesPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
44 ft
Surface area
245 acres
Shoreline
3.8 mi
Littoral zone
29%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
923 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,312 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Busties 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 Busties Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Busties Lake in Itasca 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 Busties Lake
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Follow Busties Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Busties Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Busties Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Busties Lake (completed 1937), built primarily for recreation on the Deer River; gravity-type dam, 7 ft tall and 32 ft long.
- Surface area
- 230 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,170 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,482 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2.2 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00080 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Busties Lake
Where is Busties Lake?
- Busties 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 Busties Lake?
- Busties Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 44 ft. Surface area: 245.14 acres.
Is Busties Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Busties Lake?
- Busties Lake has a maximum depth of 44 feet. The lake covers 245.14 acres.
What fish are in Busties Lake?
- Fish species found in Busties Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Busties Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Busties Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 5, 2022 caught 0.11 walleye per trap net at Busties Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Busties Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Busties Lake?
- Busties Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Busties Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Busties Lake?
- Busties 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 Busties Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
15 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA15 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory