Holly Lake
Cook County, Minnesota76 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Holly Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 6 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Holly Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 6 ft. Surface area: 75.94 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 5, 2023 caught 5.50 walleye per gill net at Holly Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–23 inches. DNR survey details →
Holly Lake is a 76-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 6 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including northern pike, pumpkinseed, and walleye. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Holly Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around May 8
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Holly Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Holly 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 Holly Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Holly 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 4.5 ft. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.5ft | 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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Holly Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 5, 2023 caught 5.50 walleye per gill net at Holly Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–23 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Holly 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
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-07-05 (Standard Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2023-07-05 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 27.51 | 1–10 in 2023-07-05 | 0.14 lb |
| White Sucker | 8.88 | 8–20 in 2023-07-05 | 1.75 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 7.36 | 6 in 2023-07-05 | 0.08 lb |
| Walleye | 4.41 | 3–23 in 2023-07-05 | 1.58 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.70 | 10–30 in 2023-07-05 | 1.8 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
White Sucker
Golden Shiner
Walleye
From the 2023-07-05 survey
Holly is 75-acre lake located about 11 miles north of Lutsen. Public access is through a boat landing on the southeast bay of the lake. Holly has historically been managed for walleye with supplemental stocking since the 1970s. Walleye stocking was discontinued in 2018 after survey results showed a healthy naturally…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Holly Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HollyFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Holly (1795)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — HollyFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — HollyPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
6 ft
Surface area
76 acres
Shoreline
1.8 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,624 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Holly LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Holly Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Holly Lake
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Follow Holly Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Holly Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
May 8
Earliest May 2, 2020 · Latest May 14, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 11
Earliest Nov 1, 2017 · Latest Nov 25, 2024
Most recent ice-out
May 11
2023
11 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Holly 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 MN16-0366-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Holly Lake
Where is Holly Lake?
- Holly 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 Holly Lake?
- Holly Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 6 ft. Surface area: 75.94 acres.
Is Holly Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Holly Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Holly Lake?
- Holly Lake has a maximum depth of 6 feet. The lake covers 75.94 acres.
What fish are in Holly Lake?
- Fish species found in Holly Lake include northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Holly Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Holly Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 5, 2023 caught 5.50 walleye per gill net at Holly Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–23 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Holly 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.
When does Holly Lake thaw?
- Holly Lake typically has ice-out around May 8. Ice typically forms around Nov 11. The open water season is approximately 187 days.
Are there boat ramps on Holly Lake?
- Holly Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Holly Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Holly Lake?
- Holly Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Holly Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
40 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA40 samples · 2020–2025
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate