Found Lake
Lake County, Minnesota60 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Found Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 38 ft max depth
- Limited data
Found Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 38 ft. Surface area: 59.92 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on May 10, 2023 caught 2.50 brook trout per gill net at Found Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–19 inches. DNR survey details →
Found Lake is a 60-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 38 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 1 documented fish species including brook trout. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-07-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Found Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.8 ft of visibility
- Deep water38 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 Found 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 Found Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Found 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 10.8 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.8ft | 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 Found Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on May 10, 2023 caught 2.50 brook trout per gill net at Found Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–19 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Found 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
13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-05-10 (Standard Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2023-05-10 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brook Trout | 9.45 | 14–19 in 2023-05-10 | 1.68 lb |
| Rainbow Trout | 1.50 | 1 lb | |
| White Sucker | 1.00 | 22 in 1993-05-25 | 4.45 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.
Brook Trout
White Sucker
From the 2023-05-10 survey
Found Lake is 18 miles northeast of Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The lake can be accessed by a 30-rod portage from Newfound Lake. There is one campsite on the lake, and summer visitors are reminded to obtain the proper day use or overnight permits from the US Forest Service in advance. Self-issued…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Found Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — FoundFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — FoundFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
38 ft
Surface area
60 acres
Shoreline
1.5 mi
Littoral zone
40%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,358 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Found Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Found Lake in Lake 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 Found Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Found Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Found Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Found Lake
Where is Found Lake?
- Found Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Found Lake?
- Found Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 38 ft. Surface area: 59.92 acres.
Is Found Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Found Lake?
- Found Lake has a maximum depth of 38 feet. The lake covers 59.92 acres.
What fish are in Found Lake?
- Fish species found in Found Lake include brook trout. Found Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Found Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on May 10, 2023 caught 2.50 brook trout per gill net at Found Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–19 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Found 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 Found Lake?
- Public access to Found 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 Found Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
6 measurements from 3 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
MNPCA6 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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