Gabimichigami Lake
Cook County, Minnesota1,186 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Gabimichigami Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 209 ft max depth
- Limited data
Gabimichigami Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 209 ft. Surface area: 1186.15 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 14, 2015 caught 2.25 northern pike per gill net at Gabimichigami Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–38 inches. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Gabimichigami Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 200 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Gabimichigami Lake is a 1,186-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 209 feet. Overall water quality is declining 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 2025-06-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Gabimichigami Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.5 ft of visibility
- Deep water209 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,186 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Gabimichigami Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Gabimichigami 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 Gabimichigami Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Gabimichigami 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 11.5 ft. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.5ft | 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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Gabimichigami Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 14, 2015 caught 2.25 northern pike per gill net at Gabimichigami Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–38 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Gabimichigami Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 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: 2024-08-06 (Targeted Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2024-08-06 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 3.47 | 8–20 in 2015-09-14 | 1.59 lb |
| Lake Trout | 1.50 | 7–20 in 2015-09-14 | 1.92 lb |
| Northern Pike | 1.35 | 16–38 in 2015-09-14 | 4.14 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 1.01 | 4–6 in 2015-09-14 | 0.09 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.
White Sucker
Lake Trout
Northern Pike
Yellow Perch
From the 2024-08-06 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected in the deepest basin in Gabimichigami Lake on August 6, 2024, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Trout, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake. During the summer,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Gabimichigami Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — GabimichigamiFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
209 ft
Surface area
1,186 acres
Shoreline
15.3 mi
Littoral zone
12%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
96 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,572 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Gabimichigami Lake
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Fishing Gabimichigami Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Gabimichigami 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: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN16-0811-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Gabimichigami Lake
Where is Gabimichigami Lake?
- Gabimichigami Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Gabimichigami Lake?
- Gabimichigami Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 209 ft. Surface area: 1186.15 acres.
Is Gabimichigami Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Gabimichigami Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Gabimichigami Lake?
- Gabimichigami Lake has a maximum depth of 209 feet. The lake covers 1186.15 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Gabimichigami Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 14, 2015 caught 2.25 northern pike per gill net at Gabimichigami Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–38 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Gabimichigami Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Gabimichigami Lake?
- Public access to Gabimichigami 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 Gabimichigami Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
2 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2023–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA2 samples · 2023–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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.
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