Ghost Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota105 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ghost Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 30 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ghost Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 105.28 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 22, 2014 caught 21.00 northern pike per gill net at Ghost Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–26 inches. DNR survey details →
Ghost Lake is a 105-acre lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 30 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ghost Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13 ft of visibility
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Deep water30 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 Ghost 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 Ghost Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Ghost 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 13 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13ft | 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 Ghost Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 22, 2014 caught 21.00 northern pike per gill net at Ghost Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ghost Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2014-07-22 (Targeted Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2014-07-22 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 33.51 | 3–9 in 2014-07-22 | 0.24 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 14.78 | 7–9 in 2014-07-22 | 0.21 lb |
| Northern Pike | 6.53 | 12–26 in 2014-07-22 | 2.73 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 3.95 | 12 in 2014-07-22 | 1.37 lb |
| Walleye | 2.69 | 15–16 in 2009-06-29 | 2.87 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.44 | 5–6 in 2014-07-22 | 0.21 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
Yellow Perch
Northern Pike
Largemouth Bass
From the 2014-07-22 survey
Dead Horse Lake is located about four miles southwest of Marcel, MN in the Bigfork River watershed. Dead Horse has a total surface area of 97 acres, a littoral area of 54 acres (56%), and a maximum depth of 30 feet. There is no connectivity to facilitate fish passage. The small outlet drains to a wetland which the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ghost Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Dead HorseFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Dead Horse (0734)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Dead HorsePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Surface area
105 acres
Shoreline
1.9 mi
Littoral zone
51%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Ghost Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Ghost Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Ghost Lake
Where is Ghost Lake?
- Ghost 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 Ghost Lake?
- Ghost Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 105.28 acres.
Is Ghost Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ghost Lake?
- Ghost Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake covers 105.28 acres.
What fish are in Ghost Lake?
- Fish species found in Ghost Lake include black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch. Ghost Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ghost Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 22, 2014 caught 21.00 northern pike per gill net at Ghost Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–26 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ghost Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Ghost Lake?
- Public access to Ghost Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Ghost Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
6 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
MNPCA6 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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder