Hoot Owl Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota84 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Hoot Owl Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 78 ft max depth
- Limited data
Hoot Owl Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 78 ft. Surface area: 83.58 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 17, 1987 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Hoot Owl Lake. DNR survey details →
Hoot Owl Lake is a 84-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 78 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 36 other monitored lakes in Clearwater County, Hoot Owl Lake ranks #21 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Hoot Owl Lake covers about 84 acres in Clearwater County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Hoot Owl Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Hoot Owl Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.1 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Deep water78 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hoot Owl 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 Hoot Owl Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Hoot Owl 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 12.1 ft. Phosphorus 10.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.6 µg/L. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 40 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Hoot Owl Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 17, 1987 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Hoot Owl Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hoot Owl 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: 1987-06-17 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1987-06-17 (Standard Survey)
39 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 165.72 | 0.12 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 14.28 | 0.17 lb | |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 8.22 | 0.22 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 7.61 | 0.12 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 5.96 | 0.97 lb | |
| Rock Bass | 4.39 | 0.33 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.
From the 1987-06-17 survey
FISH POPULATION APPEARS DOMIANTED BY SMALL NORTH- ERN PIKE AND SMALL BLUEGILL. MOST PIKE CAUGHT IN GILLNETS WERE 20 INCHES. GILLNET INDEX FOR YELLOW PERCH WAS 1/3 THE LOCAL MEAN. GILLNET INDEX FOR WALLEYE WAS CONSIDERABLY LOWER THAN STATE OR LOCAL MEDIAN AND INDEX IN 1983. YOY NORTHERN PIKE, BLUEGILL, AND LARGEMOUTH…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Hoot Owl Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Hoot OwlFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
78 ft
Surface area
84 acres
Shoreline
2.2 mi
Littoral zone
44%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,601 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Hoot Owl ResortSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Hoot Owl Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hoot Owl Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Hoot Owl Lake
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Fishing Hoot Owl Lake
Nearby Lakes in Clearwater County
Frequently asked questions about Hoot Owl Lake
Where is Hoot Owl Lake?
- Hoot Owl Lake is a lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hoot Owl Lake?
- Hoot Owl Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 78 ft. Surface area: 83.58 acres.
Is Hoot Owl Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Hoot Owl Lake?
- Hoot Owl Lake has a maximum depth of 78 feet. The lake covers 83.58 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Hoot Owl Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 17, 1987 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Hoot Owl Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hoot Owl Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Hoot Owl Lake?
- Hoot Owl Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hoot Owl Resort. Public access is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm the landing before you trailer a boat.
Can I fish at Hoot Owl Lake?
- Hoot Owl 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 Hoot Owl Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
46 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (White Earth Band) (Tribal)
WEARTH_WQX46 samples · 2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory