Connors Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota142 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Connors Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 68 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Connors Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 68 ft. Surface area: 141.76 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 4, 2007 caught 1.83 walleye per gill net at Connors Lake. DNR survey details →
Connors Lake is a 142-acre lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 68 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-08-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Connors Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 24
- Deep water68 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 Connors 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 Connors Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Connors 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 10.5 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | 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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Connors Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Connors Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Jun (about 70°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (70°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 17 field readings (2022–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Connors Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 4, 2007 caught 1.83 walleye per gill net at Connors Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Connors Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2007-09-04 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2007-09-04 (Standard Survey)
19 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 13.13 | 3–7 in 2007-09-04 | 0.15 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 9.63 | 7 in 2007-09-04 | 0.13 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 6.44 | 8–13 in 2007-09-04 | 0.78 lb |
| Black Crappie | 1.95 | 4–9 in 2007-09-04 | 0.34 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 1.75 | 5–7 in 2007-09-04 | 0.23 lb |
| Northern Pike | 1.66 | 13–33 in 2007-09-04 | 2.54 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
Yellow Bullhead
Black Crappie
From the 2007-09-04 survey
Connors Lake is located 2 miles north of Bigfork, MN in the Big Fork River watershed. The lake has a surface area of 135 acres and a maximum depth of 68 feet. Connors Lake is in ecological lake class #20. Other area lakes in this class include Bustic, Brush Shanty and Noma Lakes. The northern pike gill-net catch rate…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Connors Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ConnorsFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Connors (0716)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
68 ft
Surface area
142 acres
Shoreline
2.8 mi
Littoral zone
29%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,322 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Connors Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Connors Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Connors Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 24
Earliest Mar 24, 2012 · Latest May 11, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 23
Earliest Nov 5, 2017 · Latest Dec 8, 2024
Most recent ice-out
Apr 6
2024
26 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Connors Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Effie WwtpEffie · 4.1 mi away · NPDES MN0067555Recent violation
- BigforkBigfork · 2.3 mi away · NPDES MN0022811
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 Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Connors Lake
Where is Connors Lake?
- Connors 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 Connors Lake?
- Connors Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 68 ft. Surface area: 141.76 acres.
Is Connors Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Connors Lake?
- Connors Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in August, from 17 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Connors Lake?
- Connors Lake has a maximum depth of 68 feet. The lake covers 141.76 acres.
What fish are in Connors Lake?
- Fish species found in Connors Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Connors Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Connors Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 4, 2007 caught 1.83 walleye per gill net at Connors Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Connors Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Connors Lake thaw?
- Connors Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24. Ice typically forms around Nov 23. The open water season is approximately 213 days.
Can I fish at Connors Lake?
- Public access to Connors 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 Connors Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
36 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA36 samples · 2020–2024
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate