Gale Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota86 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Gale Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 50 ft max depth
- Limited data
Gale Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.1 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 85.87 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 14, 2008 caught 4.00 northern pike per gill net at Gale Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–27 inches. DNR survey details →
Gale Lake is a 86-acre lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 50 feet. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and northern pike. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-07-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Gale Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.1 ft of visibility
- Fishing7 species recorded
- Deep water50 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 Gale 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 Gale Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Gale Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 17.1 ft down. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.1ft | 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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Gale Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 14, 2008 caught 4.00 northern pike per gill net at Gale Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–27 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Gale Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. 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: 2008-07-14 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2008-07-14 (Standard Survey)
18 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 6.21 | 3–9 in 2008-07-14 | 0.26 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 3.02 | 3–8 in 2008-07-14 | 0.1 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.42 | 10–27 in 2008-07-14 | 1.77 lb |
| Black Crappie | 1.13 | 7–12 in 2008-07-14 | 0.48 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 1.13 | 1.04 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 0.63 | 5–6 in 2008-07-14 | 0.15 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.
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
Northern Pike
Black Crappie
From the 2008-07-14 survey
Gale Lake is located 9 miles southeast of Bigfork, MN in the Big Fork River watershed. The lake has a surface area of 73 acres and a maximum depth of 50 feet. Gale Lake is in ecological lake class #28. Other area lakes in this class include Arrowhead, Batson and Raddison Lakes. Gale Lake has no developed public…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Gale Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — GaleFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Gale (0721)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
50 ft
Surface area
86 acres
Shoreline
2.5 mi
Littoral zone
43%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,375 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Gale Lake
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Fish Species
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Fishing Gale Lake
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Gale Lake
Where is Gale Lake?
- Gale 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 Gale Lake?
- Gale Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.1 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 85.87 acres.
Is Gale Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Gale Lake?
- Gale Lake has a maximum depth of 50 feet. The lake covers 85.87 acres.
What fish are in Gale Lake?
- Fish species found in Gale Lake include black crappie, bluegill, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Gale Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Gale Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 14, 2008 caught 4.00 northern pike per gill net at Gale Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–27 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Gale Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Gale Lake?
- Public access to Gale 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 2 monitoring stations, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Department of Agriculture - Pesticide Monitoring
MNDA_PESTICIDE1 sample · 2022 - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA1 sample · 2022
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder