Fox Lake
Pine County, Minnesota200 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Fox Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 15 ft max depth
- Limited data
Fox Lake in Pine County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 14.5 ft. Surface area: 200.34 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2014 caught 1.83 northern pike per gill net at Fox Lake. DNR survey details →
Fox Lake is a 200-acre lake in Pine County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 15 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 2021-09-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Fox Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). 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.
Murky, only visible to about 3.7 ft. TSI 58.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.7ft | 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. | 58 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Fox Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2014 caught 1.83 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
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2014-07-07 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2014-07-07 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 13.81 | 3–18 in 2014-07-07 | 1.65 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 12.23 | 8–12 in 2003-08-04 | 0.58 lb |
| Black Crappie | 7.44 | 5–10 in 2014-07-07 | 0.27 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 5.09 | 5–8 in 2014-07-07 | 0.18 lb |
| Bluegill | 4.53 | 3–8 in 2014-07-07 | 0.27 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 3.71 | 9–12 in 2014-07-07 | 0.68 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.
Largemouth Bass
Black Bullhead
Black Crappie
Yellow Perch
From the 2014-07-07 survey
Fox is a 239 acre lake in northwest Pine County 3 miles west of Willow River. The lake lacks a designated public access but boat launching is possible from the township road on the west shore. Despite a maximum depth of only 14.5 feet, a significant winterkill has never been recorded. On a per acre basis, angling…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Fox Lake. 2 reports 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
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Fox (0370)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
14.5 ft
Surface area
200 acres
Shoreline
4.5 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,060 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 readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2021). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Fox Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN58-0102-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Pine County
Frequently asked questions about Fox Lake
Where is Fox Lake?
- Fox Lake is a lake in Pine 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 Pine County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 14.5 ft. Surface area: 200.34 acres.
Is Fox Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Fox Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Fox Lake?
- Fox Lake has a maximum depth of 14.5 feet. The lake covers 200.34 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Fox Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2014 caught 1.83 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.
Explore Fox Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA12 samples · 2020–2021
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