Cole Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota142 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Cole Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 24 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Cole Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 142.07 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 15, 2016 caught 1.17 walleye per gill net at Cole Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–26 inches. DNR survey details →
Cole Lake is a 142-acre lake in Carlton County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 24 feet (11-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 2020-06-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Cole Lake covers about 140 acres in Carlton County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 18, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Cole Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Cole Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing11 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 18
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cole 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 Cole Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Cole 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 Cole Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 15, 2016 caught 1.17 walleye per gill net at Cole Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cole Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2016-08-15 (Standard Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2016-08-15 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 13.12 | 3–19 in 2016-08-15 | 1.33 lb |
| Bluegill | 6.34 | 3–8 in 2016-08-15 | 0.17 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 6.20 | 5–6 in 2016-08-15 | 0.13 lb |
| Walleye | 4.55 | 20–26 in 2016-08-15 | 2.27 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 3.32 | 4–8 in 2016-08-15 | 0.16 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.55 | 12–27 in 2016-08-15 | 2.23 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
Yellow Perch
Walleye
From the 2016-08-15 survey
A standard survey was conducted on Cole Lake during the summer of 2016 to evaluate and update information about fish populations and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Walleye stocking program. Walleye and Largemouth Bass are the primary management species for Cole Lake. Walleye fry have been stocked every other…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Cole Lake. 5 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ColeFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Cole (0243)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Cole (2071)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — ColeFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — ColePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
24 ft
Average depth
11 ft
Surface area
142 acres
Shoreline
2.4 mi
Littoral zone
76%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,286 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Cole 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 Cole Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Cole 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 Cole Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Cole Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Cole Lake
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 18
Earliest Mar 29, 2000 · Latest May 2, 1996
Most recent ice-out
Apr 10
2015
31 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Cole Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Tamarack WwtpTamarack · 4 mi away · NPDES MN0064564Recent violation
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 Cole Lake
Where is Cole Lake?
- Cole 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 Cole Lake?
- Cole Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 142.07 acres.
Is Cole Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Cole Lake?
- Cole Lake has a maximum depth of 24 feet and an average depth of 11 feet. The lake covers 142.07 acres.
What fish are in Cole Lake?
- Fish species found in Cole Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Cole Lake is located in Carlton County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Cole Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 15, 2016 caught 1.17 walleye per gill net at Cole Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 20–26 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cole Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Cole Lake thaw?
- Cole Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 18.
Are there boat ramps on Cole Lake?
- Cole Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Cole Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Cole Lake?
- Cole 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 Cole Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
3 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
MNPCA3 samples · 2020
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
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