Fox Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota262 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Fox Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 75 ft max depth
- Limited data
Fox Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 75 ft. Surface area: 262.49 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 1987 caught 4.00 northern pike per gill net at Fox Lake. DNR survey details →
Fox Lake is a 262-acre lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 75 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Fox Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.8 ft of visibility
- Deep water75 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 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 12.8 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.8ft | 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. | 40 | 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 27, 1987 caught 4.00 northern pike 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 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1987-07-27 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1987-07-27 (Standard Survey)
39 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 14.80 | 0.41 lb | |
| Bluegill | 8.83 | 0.1 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.09 | 0.18 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 2.44 | 2.35 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 1.77 | 0.22 lb | |
| Rock Bass | 0.92 | 0.17 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 1987-07-27 survey
NORTHERN CISCO, NORTHERN PIKE, AND PUMPKINSEED POPULATIONS ARE ABOVE MEDIANS BUT NORTHERN PIKE POPULATIONS HAVE GONE DOWN FROM THE 1974 AND 1980 SAMPLING. WHITE SUCKER AND YELLOW PERCH POPULATIONS ARE BELOW MEDIANS AND THE PERCH POPU- LATION HAS GONE DOWN FROM 1974. ALL OTHER POPULA- TIONS APPEAR TO BE NORMAL AND HAVE…
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
75 ft
Surface area
262 acres
Shoreline
4.7 mi
Littoral zone
74%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
16 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,345 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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Follow Fox Lake’s readings
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Fishing Fox Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Fox Lake
Where is Fox Lake?
- Fox 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 Fox Lake?
- Fox Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 75 ft. Surface area: 262.49 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 75 feet. The lake covers 262.49 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Fox Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 1987 caught 4.00 northern pike 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 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
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.
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Where this data comes from
2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA2 samples · 2020
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder