Elm Island Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota520 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Elm Island Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- 25 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Elm Island Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 519.52 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 17, 2025 caught 0.89 northern pike per trap net at Elm Island Lake. DNR survey details →
Elm Island Lake is a 520-acre lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 25 feet (9-foot average). 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 with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Elm Island Lake covers about 520 acres in Aitkin 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 Elm Island Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Elm Island Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 18
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Elm Island Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Elm Island 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 Elm Island Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Elm Island Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4ft | 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. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Elm Island Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Elm Island Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 74°F) and coldest in May (about 58°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (58°F) to its warmest (74°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 106 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Elm Island Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 17, 2025 caught 0.89 northern pike per trap net at Elm Island Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Elm Island 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
15 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-06-17 (Targeted Survey).
15 surveys on file · most recent 2025-06-17 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 32.46 | ||
| Bluegill | 13.90 | 3–8 in 2025-06-17 | 0.32 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 10.49 | 11 in 2023-06-12 | 0.65 lb |
| Black Crappie | 10.46 | 5–8 in 2025-06-17 | 0.24 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 7.68 | ||
| Yellow Perch | 7.61 | 5–7 in 2023-06-12 | 0.13 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
Black Bullhead
Black Crappie
Yellow Perch
From the 2025-06-17 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Elm Island Lake was conducted beginning on June 17th, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Elm Island Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Elm IslandFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Elm Island (0021)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Elm IslandFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Elm IslandPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
25 ft
Average depth
9 ft
Surface area
520 acres
Shoreline
7.9 mi
Littoral zone
75%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
63 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,217 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Elm Island 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 Elm Island Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Elm Island Lake in Aitkin 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 Elm Island Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Elm Island Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Elm Island Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 18
Earliest Mar 30, 2010 · Latest May 3, 2018
Typical ice-in
Nov 20
Earliest Nov 10, 2018 · Latest Dec 1, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Apr 12
2025
25 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Elm Island 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: Aquatic life, Fish consumption, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN01-0123-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Aitkin County
Frequently asked questions about Elm Island Lake
Where is Elm Island Lake?
- Elm Island Lake is a lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Elm Island Lake?
- Elm Island Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 519.52 acres.
Is Elm Island Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Elm Island Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Elm Island Lake?
- Elm Island Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in October, from 106 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Elm Island Lake?
- Elm Island Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet and an average depth of 9 feet. The lake covers 519.52 acres.
What fish are in Elm Island Lake?
- Fish species found in Elm Island Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Elm Island Lake is located in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Elm Island Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 17, 2025 caught 0.89 northern pike per trap net at Elm Island Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Elm Island 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 Elm Island Lake thaw?
- Elm Island Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 18. Ice typically forms around Nov 20. The open water season is approximately 216 days.
Are there boat ramps on Elm Island Lake?
- Elm Island Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Elm Island Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Elm Island Lake?
- Elm Island 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 Elm Island Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
56 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
MNPCA56 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
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