Island Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota44 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Island Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 58 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Island Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 58 ft. Surface area: 44.34 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 9, 2022 caught 4.33 rainbow trout per gill net at Island Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–22 inches. DNR survey details →
Island Lake is a 44-acre mesotrophic lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 58 feet. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including brown trout, green sunfish, and hybrid sunfish. Public access is available. Compared to the 36 other monitored lakes in Clearwater County, Island Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Island Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.1 ft of visibility
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Deep water58 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 Island 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 Island Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Island 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 14.1 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.8 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.8µg/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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Island Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 9, 2022 caught 4.33 rainbow trout per gill net at Island Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–22 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Island Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. 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: 2022-06-09 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2022-06-09 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Sunfish | 115.84 | 4–8 in 2022-06-09 | 0.08 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 16.67 | 5–7 in 2022-06-09 | 0.09 lb |
| Rainbow Trout | 6.59 | 11–22 in 2022-06-09 | 0.78 lb |
| Brown Trout | 3.00 | 18–26 in 2017-06-07 | 3.2 lb |
| White Sucker | 0.97 | 19 in 2017-06-07 | 2.37 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 0.50 | 8–9 in 2017-06-07 | 0.74 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.
Green Sunfish
Golden Shiner
Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
From the 2022-06-09 survey
Island Lake is a 44-acre lake with a maximum depth of 58 feet located 10 miles southwest of the village of Zerkel in Clearwater County. Rules specific to designated trout lakes can be found in the regulation book.The lake is located south of HWY 200 off of the Height of Land Forest Road. There is a DNR public water…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Island Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — IslandFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Island (1330)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — IslandFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — IslandPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
58 ft
Surface area
44 acres
Shoreline
1.6 mi
Littoral zone
60%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,781 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Island Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Island Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Island Lake
Nearby Lakes in Clearwater County
Frequently asked questions about Island Lake
Where is Island Lake?
- Island 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 Island Lake?
- Island Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 58 ft. Surface area: 44.34 acres.
Is Island Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Island Lake?
- Island Lake has a maximum depth of 58 feet. The lake covers 44.34 acres.
What fish are in Island Lake?
- Fish species found in Island Lake include brown trout, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, rainbow trout, white sucker. Island Lake is located in Clearwater County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Island Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 9, 2022 caught 4.33 rainbow trout per gill net at Island Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–22 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Island Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Island Lake?
- Public access to Island 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 Island Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
40 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_WQX40 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