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LakeQuality

Indiana Lake

Lake County, Minnesota143 acresView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Indiana Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
15.3 ft
Clearer than most
Secchi · sampled 2025
Max depth
31 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
143 acres
Surface area
Trend
Improving
4 years of samples
Shoreline
2 mi
Measured length
  • 31 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Indiana Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 31 ft. Surface area: 143.04 acres.

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2019 caught 1.75 northern pike per gill net at Indiana Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 22–39 inches. DNR survey details →

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Indiana Lake is a 143-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 31 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including bluegill, largemouth bass, and northern pike. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-06-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Indiana Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water15.3 ft of visibility
  • Fishing7 species recorded
  • Deep water31 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Indiana 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.

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Water quality measurements for Indiana Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Indiana 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 15.3 ft down. TSI 38.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)15.3ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo 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.38Oligotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.

Ask about Indiana Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

DNR fisheries survey

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2019 caught 1.75 northern pike per gill net at Indiana Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 22–39 inches.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Indiana Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2019-08-06 (Standard Survey).

1 survey on file · most recent 2019-08-06 (Standard Survey)

SpeciesCatch rate (CPUE)SizeAvg weight
Largemouth Bass
10.00
5–17 in
2019-08-06
1.37 lb
Smallmouth Bass
2.75
8–15 in
2019-08-06
1.53 lb
Northern Pike
1.75
22–39 in
2019-08-06
5.44 lb
Bluegill
1.25
3–5 in
2019-08-06
0.06 lb
Rock Bass
0.50
5–6 in
2019-08-06
0.17 lb
Yellow Perch
0.50
6–7 in
2019-08-06
0.13 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.

Largemouth Bass

40 fish · 5–17 in · 2019-08-06
1260567891011121314151617

Smallmouth Bass

11 fish · 8–15 in · 2019-08-06
53089101112131415

Northern Pike

7 fish · 22–39 in · 2019-08-06
210trophy 36″222426283032343638

Bluegill

5 fish · 3–5 in · 2019-08-06
320345

From the 2019-08-06 survey

Indiana Lake is located approximately 14 miles NE of Ely within the BWCAW. Because of its proximity to Basswood Lake and nearby entry points, Indiana is a popular lake with wilderness enthusiasts. Indiana Lake also has a reputation for quality bass fishing with some larger pike as an additional component. There are…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Indiana Lake. 1 report on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Lake Details

Max depth

31 ft

Surface area

143 acres

Shoreline

2 mi

Littoral zone

27%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

No

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

14 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,302 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Indiana Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Indiana Lake in Lake 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 Indiana Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →

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Fish Species

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Indiana Lake

Based on 4 years of monitoring (2021–2025).

  • Water clarity

    Improving

    4 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Lake County

Frequently asked questions about Indiana Lake

Where is Indiana Lake?

Indiana 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 Indiana Lake?

Indiana Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 31 ft. Surface area: 143.04 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Indiana Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Indiana Lake?

Indiana Lake has a maximum depth of 31 feet. The lake covers 143.04 acres.

What fish are in Indiana Lake?

Fish species found in Indiana Lake include bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, white sucker, yellow perch. Indiana Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.

Fish on this page ↑

What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Indiana Lake?

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2019 caught 1.75 northern pike per gill net at Indiana Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 22–39 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Indiana Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR on this page ↑

Can I fish at Indiana Lake?

Public access to Indiana 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.

Where this data comes from

10 measurements from 5 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA10 samples · 2021–2025

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (5)

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