Gander Lake
Lake County, Minnesota117 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Gander Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 7 ft max depth
- Limited data
Gander Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 7 ft. Surface area: 116.9 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 2005 caught 11.75 northern pike per gill net at Gander Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–28 inches. DNR survey details →
Gander Lake is a 117-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 7 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including northern pike, pumpkinseed, and white sucker. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Gander Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing4 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 27
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Gander Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Gander 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 Gander Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Gander 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 5.6 ft. TSI 52.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.6ft | 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. | 52 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Gander Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 2005 caught 11.75 northern pike per gill net at Gander Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–28 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Gander 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
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2005-07-18 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2005-07-18 (Standard Survey)
21 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Shiner | 95.33 | ||
| Yellow Perch | 56.02 | 1–7 in 2005-07-18 | 0.1 lb |
| Northern Pike | 6.35 | 14–28 in 2005-07-18 | 2.27 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 5.14 | 3–4 in 2005-07-18 | 0.04 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.
Yellow Perch
Northern Pike
Pumpkinseed
From the 2005-07-18 survey
Gander Lake is a relatively small, remote lake approximately 8 miles northwest of Isabella. Most of the lake is surrounded by Federal land however there is no developed public access. There are a number of locations on the lake where there is private access. The lake supports a natural population of northern pike,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Gander Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — GanderFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
7 ft
Surface area
117 acres
Shoreline
3.5 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,690 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Gander Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Gander Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Gander 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
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 27
Earliest Apr 10, 2017 · Latest May 8, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 13
Earliest Nov 9, 2018 · Latest Nov 26, 2024
Most recent ice-out
Apr 27
2025
10 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Gander Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN38-0554-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Gander Lake
Where is Gander Lake?
- Gander Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Gander Lake?
- Gander Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 7 ft. Surface area: 116.9 acres.
Is Gander Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Gander Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Gander Lake?
- Gander Lake has a maximum depth of 7 feet. The lake covers 116.9 acres.
What fish are in Gander Lake?
- Fish species found in Gander Lake include northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, yellow perch. Gander Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Gander Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 2005 caught 11.75 northern pike per gill net at Gander Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–28 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Gander 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.
When does Gander Lake thaw?
- Gander Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 27. Ice typically forms around Nov 13. The open water season is approximately 200 days.
Can I fish at Gander Lake?
- Public access to Gander 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
4 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
MNPCA4 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate