Island Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota232 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Island Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- zebra mussel
- 76 ft max depth
- Public access
Island Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 76 ft. Surface area: 232.4 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2024 caught 0.17 walleye per gill net at Island Lake. DNR survey details →
Island Lake is a 232-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 76 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 19 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Island Lake ranks #18 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Island Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water15.1 ft of visibility
- Fishing19 species recorded
- Deep water76 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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.
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down. Phosphorus 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 15.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 12µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.1µg/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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Island Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Island Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 63°F. Usually warmest in Sep (about 69°F) and coldest in May (about 60°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (60°F) to its warmest (69°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 146 field readings (2017–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Island Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2024 caught 0.17 walleye per gill net at Island Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Island 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: 2024-08-14 (Targeted Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2024-08-14 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 30.45 | ||
| Bluegill | 14.54 | 2–8 in 2024-06-24 | 0.14 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 11.13 | 7 in 2005-06-27 | 0.32 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 8.10 | 10–16 in 2024-06-24 | 0.57 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
Green Sunfish
Tullibee (Cisco)
From the 2024-08-14 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles were collected in the deepest basin in Island-Loon Lake on August 14, 2024, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Whitefish, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake (Cisco are also…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Island Lake. 1 report 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
Lake Details
Max depth
76 ft
Surface area
232 acres
Shoreline
5.2 mi
Littoral zone
37%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Island Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Island Lake
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Follow Island Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Island Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.53 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.17 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Island Lake
Where is Island Lake?
- Island Lake is a lake in Crow Wing 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 Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 76 ft. Surface area: 232.4 acres.
Is Island Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Island Lake?
- Island Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September, from 146 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Island Lake?
- Island Lake has a maximum depth of 76 feet. The lake covers 232.4 acres.
What fish are in Island Lake?
- Fish species found in Island Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Island Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Island Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 2024 caught 0.17 walleye per gill net at Island Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Island 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 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
171 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA171 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder