Deer Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota1,855 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Deer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 50 ft max depth
- Public access
Deer Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 1854.59 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 5.00 walleye per gill net at Deer Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Deer Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 40 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Deer Lake is a 1,855-acre mesotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 50 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Deer Lake ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Deer Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 25
- Deep water50 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,855 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Deer 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 Deer Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Deer Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.9 ft. Phosphorus 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.5 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 16µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.5µg/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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Deer Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Deer Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 71°F) and coldest in Oct (about 50°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (50°F) to its warmest (71°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 66 field readings (2019–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 5.00 walleye per gill net at Deer Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Deer Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
21 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-28 (Standard Survey).
21 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-28 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 18.09 | 4–10 in 2025-07-28 | 0.19 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 7.04 |
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.
Yellow Perch
From the 2025-07-28 survey
Deer Lake is a 1,748-acre lake about 14 miles east of Effie. It's part of a three-lake chain that flows west into the Bigfork River. The lake has a lot of shallow water (about three-quarters of the lake is less than 15 feet deep), with a maximum depth of 50 feet. Water clarity in 2025 was moderate, with about 11 feet…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Deer Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — DeerFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Deer (0647)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — DeerFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — DeerPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
50 ft
Surface area
1,855 acres
Shoreline
9.5 mi
Littoral zone
72%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
41 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,329 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Deer Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Deer 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 Deer Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Deer Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.39 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.27 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 25
Earliest Apr 3, 2010 · Latest May 13, 1996
Typical ice-in
Nov 19
Earliest Nov 8, 2017 · Latest Dec 8, 2016
Most recent ice-out
May 10
2022
29 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Deer Lake
Where is Deer Lake?
- Deer 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 Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 1854.59 acres.
Is Deer 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 Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October, from 66 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2019–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake has a maximum depth of 50 feet. The lake covers 1854.59 acres.
What fish are in Deer Lake?
- Fish species found in Deer Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Deer Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Deer Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 5.00 walleye per gill net at Deer Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Deer Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Deer Lake thaw?
- Deer Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 25. Ice typically forms around Nov 19. The open water season is approximately 208 days.
Can I fish at Deer Lake?
- Public access to Deer 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.
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Where this data comes from
99 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA99 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate