Island Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota222 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Island Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 65 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Island Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 65 ft. Surface area: 222.11 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 17, 2015 caught 0.17 walleye per gill net at Island Lake. DNR survey details →
Island Lake is a 222-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 65 feet. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and hybrid sunfish. Public access is available. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in St. Louis County, Island Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Island Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing8 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 27
- Deep water65 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 14.5 ft. Phosphorus 8.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.8 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8.5µg/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. | 38 | 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 52°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 55°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 58°F) and coldest in May (about 48°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (48°F) to its warmest (58°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 87 field readings (2019–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Island Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 17, 2015 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 stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2015-08-17 (Standard Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2015-08-17 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 10.71 | 3–8 in 2015-08-17 | 0.14 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 7.08 | 4–8 in 2015-08-17 | 0.21 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 5.66 | 5–6 in 2015-08-17 | 0.17 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 5.08 | 4–19 in 2015-08-17 | 0.72 lb |
| Black Crappie | 5.03 | 4–11 in 2015-08-17 | 0.32 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.07 | 16–36 in 2015-08-17 | 2.44 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
Pumpkinseed
Yellow Perch
Largemouth Bass
From the 2015-08-17 survey
Island Lake is a 227 acre lake located 14 miles south of Hibbing, MN in the St. Louis River watershed. Island Lake has clear, moderately hard water with low phosphorus fertility. The variety of substrate types and aquatic vegetation provides good habitat for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass and panfish. While most of…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Island Lake. 3 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 (1817)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — IslandPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
65 ft
Surface area
222 acres
Shoreline
5.2 mi
Littoral zone
64%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,325 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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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
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 27
Earliest Apr 5, 2000 · Latest May 8, 1996
Typical ice-in
Nov 21
Earliest Nov 16, 2014 · Latest Nov 29, 2015
Most recent ice-out
May 7
2022
43 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Island Lake
Where is Island Lake?
- Island Lake is a lake in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 65 ft. Surface area: 222.11 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 52°F at the surface in September, from 87 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2019–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Island Lake?
- Island Lake has a maximum depth of 65 feet. The lake covers 222.11 acres.
What fish are in Island Lake?
- Fish species found in Island Lake include black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow perch. Island Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Island Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 17, 2015 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 stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Island Lake thaw?
- Island Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 27. Ice typically forms around Nov 21. The open water season is approximately 208 days.
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
69 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
MNPCA69 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate