Where is Five Island Lake?

Five Island 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 temperature of Five Island Lake?

Five Island Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in September, from 8 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Five Island Lake?

Five Island Lake has a maximum depth of 33 feet and an average depth of 12 feet. The lake covers 214.32 acres.

Can I fish at Five Island Lake?

Public access to Five Island 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.

Five Island Lake

Itasca County, Minnesota214 acresView map Directions

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Five Island Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity

13 ft

Clearer than most

Secchi · sampled 2025

Phosphorus

12 µg/L

Less phosphorus than most

Measured by Minnesota PCA

Chlorophyll-a

3.2 µg/L

Less algae than most

Measured by Minnesota PCA

Water temp

~63°F

Typical for Sep · EPA WQP

Max depth

33 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

214 acres

Surface area

Mesotrophic
33 ft max depth
Public access

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Five Island Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 33 ft. Surface area: 214.32 acres.

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 3, 2020 caught 1.50 northern pike per gill net at Five Island Lake. DNR survey details →

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Five Island Lake is a 214-acre mesotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 33 feet (12-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and hybrid sunfish. Public access is available. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Five Island Lake ranks #8 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Five Island Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water13 ft of visibility
Fishing10 species recorded
Deep water33 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Low 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 Five 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.

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Water quality measurements for Five Island Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Five Island 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 13 ft. Phosphorus 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.2 µg/L. TSI 41.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	13ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	12µg/L	Good GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)	3.2µg/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.	41	Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Five Island Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Water Temperature

Five Island Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 74°F) and coldest in Sep (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

74°

Jul

74°

Aug

63°

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (63°F) to its warmest (74°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 8 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Five Island Lake water temperature breakdown →

DNR fisheries survey

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 3, 2020 caught 1.50 northern pike per gill net at Five Island Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Five Island 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

5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2020-08-03 (Standard Survey).

5 surveys on file · most recent 2020-08-03 (Standard Survey)

Species	Catch rate (CPUE)	Size	Avg weight
Bluegill	17.73	3–8 in 2020-08-03	0.2 lb
Yellow Perch	15.98	5–8 in 2020-08-03	0.14 lb
Golden Shiner	3.22	5 in 2020-08-03	0.1 lb
Tullibee (Cisco)	2.46	12–14 in 2020-08-03	0.71 lb
Pumpkinseed	2.44	7 in 2020-08-03	0.33 lb
Largemouth Bass	2.14	5–19 in 2020-08-03	0.71 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

84 fish · 3–8 in · 2020-08-03

Yellow Perch

62 fish · 5–8 in · 2020-08-03

Golden Shiner

1 fish · 5–5 in · 2020-08-03

Tullibee (Cisco)

13 fish · 12–14 in · 2020-08-03

From the 2020-08-03 survey

Five Island Lake is a 175-acre lake in northeastern Itasca County located six miles northwest of Togo, MN. A county administered public access is located on the northeast side of the lake on Five Island Lake Road (off County Road 542), with parking for one rig. The access is at the bottom of a steep hill that is…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Five Island Lake. 3 reports on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

—
Fisheries Lake Survey — Five Island
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
—
Aquatic Plant Report — Five Island (0793)
Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
—
Public Water Access Sites — Five Island
Public Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder

Lake Details

Max depth

33 ft

Average depth

12 ft

Surface area

214 acres

Shoreline

4.1 mi

Littoral zone

52%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

Yes

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

6 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,365 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Five Island Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Five Island 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 Five Island Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

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Follow Five Island Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

black crappie bluegill hybrid sunfish largemouth bass northern pike pumpkinseed rock bass tullibee (cisco)white sucker yellow perch

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Five Island Lake

Water Quality Trend: Worsening

Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).

Water clarity
Stable
6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening
+1.79 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening
+0.65 µg/L/yr3 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Itasca County

Tank Lake—View →Buttonbox Lake—View →Mead Lake10.7 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Rum Lake—View →Townline Lake—View →Mirror Lake18 ft clear · Oligotrophic—View →

Frequently asked questions about Five Island Lake

Where is Five Island Lake?: Five Island 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 Five Island Lake?: Five Island Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 33 ft. Surface area: 214.32 acres.
Is Five Island 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 Five Island Lake?: Five Island Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in September, from 8 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Five Island Lake?: Five Island Lake has a maximum depth of 33 feet and an average depth of 12 feet. The lake covers 214.32 acres.
What fish are in Five Island Lake?: Fish species found in Five Island Lake include black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), white sucker, yellow perch. Five Island Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Five Island Lake?: Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 3, 2020 caught 1.50 northern pike per gill net at Five Island Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Five Island 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.
Can I fish at Five Island Lake?: Public access to Five Island 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 Five Island Lake across LakeQuality

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State Parks Near Five Island Lake

Scenic State Park

State Park · 15.1 mi

McCarthy Beach State Park

State Park · 16.8 mi

Other Lakes in Minnesota

Sturgeon Lake

St. Louis County · 13.8 ft

South Sturgeon Lake

St. Louis County · 2.5 ft

Side Lake

St. Louis County · 11.5 ft

Perch Lake

St. Louis County · 13.5 ft

Island Lake

St. Louis County · 14.5 ft

Silver Lake

St. Louis County · 19.3 ft

Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Unnamed Lake Sturgeon Lake Side Lake Perch Lake

Where this data comes from

90 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 WaterMNPCA90 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.