Fox Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota165 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Fox Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 19 ft max depth
Fox Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 19 ft. Surface area: 164.79 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 11, 1985 caught 6.00 walleye per gill net at Fox Lake. DNR survey details →
Fox Lake is a 165-acre mesotrophic lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 19 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Beltrami County, Fox Lake ranks #33 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Fox Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.2 ft of visibility
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 20
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 Fox 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 Fox Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Fox 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 11.2 ft. Phosphorus 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4 µg/L. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4µg/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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Fox Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 11, 1985 caught 6.00 walleye per gill net at Fox Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Fox Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1985-07-11 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1985-07-11 (Standard Survey)
41 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 13.38 | 0.2 lb | |
| Bluegill | 11.63 | 0.31 lb | |
| White Sucker | 8.50 | 1.84 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 4.75 | 1.52 lb | |
| Rock Bass | 3.50 | 0.28 lb | |
| Walleye | 3.13 | 3.4 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.
From the 1985-07-11 survey
THE FISH POPULATION IS TYPICAL OF CENTRARCHID LAKES EXCEPT THAT WALLEYE AND TULLIBEE ARE PRESENT NORTHERN PIKE, WHITE SUCKER, ROCK BASS, YELLOW PERCH, WALLEYE BOWFIN, PUMPKINSEED, BLUEGILL AND AND LARGEMOUTH BASS ARE ABOVE STATE AND LOCAL MED- IANS AND BLACK CRAPPIE ARE ABOVE LOCAL MEDIANS.
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Fox Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — FoxFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
19 ft
Surface area
165 acres
Shoreline
2.3 mi
Littoral zone
80%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
69 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,339 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Fox Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Fox Lake
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Fishing Fox Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.06 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.14 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 20
Earliest Apr 11, 2005 · Latest Apr 24, 2019
Typical ice-in
Nov 18
Earliest Nov 8, 2004 · Latest Nov 23, 2007
Most recent ice-out
Apr 24
2019
9 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Fox Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Fox Lake (completed 1939), built primarily for recreation on the Turtle River-TR; other-type dam, 15 ft tall and 50 ft long.
- Surface area
- 148 ac
- Normal storage
- 963 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,284 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 64.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Undetermined
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00014 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Beltrami County
Frequently asked questions about Fox Lake
Where is Fox Lake?
- Fox Lake is a lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Fox Lake?
- Fox Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 19 ft. Surface area: 164.79 acres.
Is Fox Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Fox Lake?
- Fox Lake has a maximum depth of 19 feet. The lake covers 164.79 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Fox Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 11, 1985 caught 6.00 walleye per gill net at Fox Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Fox Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Fox Lake thaw?
- Fox Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 20. Ice typically forms around Nov 18. The open water season is approximately 212 days.
Can I fish at Fox Lake?
- Public access to Fox 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 Fox Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
83 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
MNPCA83 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 (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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate