Chub Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota313 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Chub Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 28 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Chub Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 28 ft. Surface area: 313.42 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 31, 2020 caught 0.67 walleye per gill net at Chub Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 18–25 inches. DNR survey details →
Chub Lake is a 313-acre lake in Carlton County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 28 feet (15-foot average). The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Chub Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.7 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing11 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 20
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Chub Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Chub 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 Chub Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Chub 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 13.7 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.7ft | 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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Chub Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Chub Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 72°F) and coldest in May (about 55°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (55°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 10 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Chub Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 31, 2020 caught 0.67 walleye per gill net at Chub Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 18–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Chub Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. 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: 2020-08-31 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2020-08-31 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 38.62 | 9–14 in 2020-08-31 | 1.08 lb |
| Bluegill | 7.43 | 2–8 in 2020-08-31 | 0.12 lb |
| Northern Pike | 6.56 | 10–31 in 2020-08-31 | 2.03 lb |
| Walleye | 5.30 | 18–25 in 2020-08-31 | 3.15 lb |
| Black Crappie | 3.99 | 3–11 in 2020-08-31 | 0.22 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.95 | 3–7 in 2020-08-31 | 0.14 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.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Northern Pike
Walleye
From the 2020-08-31 survey
Chub Lake is a 313-acre lake located near Carlton, Minnesota with 54% (169 acres) littoral area and a maximum depth of 28 feet. A county owned, concrete back-in access is located on the north end of the lake, near Chub Lake Park. Walleye and Largemouth Bass are the primary management species and Black Crappie is the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Chub Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ChubFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Chub (0260)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — ChubFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — ChubPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
28 ft
Average depth
15 ft
Surface area
313 acres
Shoreline
4.8 mi
Littoral zone
54%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,115 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Chub 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 Chub Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Chub Lake in Carlton 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 Chub Lake
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Follow Chub Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Chub 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 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 20
Earliest Mar 12, 2024 · Latest May 9, 2014
Typical ice-in
Nov 26
Earliest Nov 10, 2017 · Latest Dec 27, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Mar 12
2024
23 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Chub 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 MN09-0008-00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Chub Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Northern Natural Gas CoCarlton · 2.4 mi away · NPDES MN0050041
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Carlton County
Frequently asked questions about Chub Lake
Where is Chub Lake?
- Chub Lake is a lake in Carlton County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Chub Lake?
- Chub Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 28 ft. Surface area: 313.42 acres.
Is Chub Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Chub 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 Chub Lake?
- Chub Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in August, from 10 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Chub Lake?
- Chub Lake has a maximum depth of 28 feet and an average depth of 15 feet. The lake covers 313.42 acres.
What fish are in Chub Lake?
- Fish species found in Chub Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Chub Lake is located in Carlton County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Chub Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 31, 2020 caught 0.67 walleye per gill net at Chub Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 18–25 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Chub Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Chub Lake thaw?
- Chub Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 20. Ice typically forms around Nov 26. The open water season is approximately 220 days.
Are there boat ramps on Chub Lake?
- Chub Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Chub Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Chub Lake?
- Chub 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 Chub 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 Carlton County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Lake Superior Basin (MN+WI), ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Where this data comes from
42 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA42 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate