Crab Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota420 acresView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Minnesota PCA for this lake.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 57 ft max depth
- Limited data
Crab Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 57 ft. Surface area: 419.79 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 2, 2001 caught 3.33 northern pike per gill net at Crab Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–33 inches. DNR survey details →
Crab Lake is a 420-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 57 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2021-10-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Crab Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Deep water57 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Crab Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Crab 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 Crab Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Crab Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data.
Ask about Crab Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 2, 2001 caught 3.33 northern pike per gill net at Crab Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–33 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Crab Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-28 (Targeted Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-28 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 5.33 | 9–21 in 2001-07-02 | 2.03 lb |
| Bluegill | 4.00 | 0.06 lb | |
| Rock Bass | 3.11 | 5–8 in 2001-07-02 | 0.18 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 3.03 | 5–16 in 2001-07-02 | 1.31 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.67 | 16–33 in 2001-07-02 | 3.03 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.33 | 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.
White Sucker
Rock Bass
Smallmouth Bass
Northern Pike
From the 2025-07-28 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Crab Lake on July 28th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Crab Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CrabFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
57 ft
Surface area
420 acres
Shoreline
10.5 mi
Littoral zone
52%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,457 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Crab Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Crab Lake in St. Louis 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 Crab Lake
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Follow Crab Lake’s readings
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Fishing Crab Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Crab Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN69-0220-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Crab Lake
Where is Crab Lake?
- Crab Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Crab Lake?
- Crab Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 57 ft. Surface area: 419.79 acres.
Is Crab Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Crab Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Crab Lake?
- Crab Lake has a maximum depth of 57 feet. The lake covers 419.79 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Crab Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 2, 2001 caught 3.33 northern pike per gill net at Crab Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–33 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Crab Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Crab Lake?
- Public access to Crab Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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 Crab Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA1 sample · 2021
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder