Itasca Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota1,065 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Itasca Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 40 ft max depth
- Public access
Itasca Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 26.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 1065.11 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 21, 2025 caught 2.42 walleye per gill net at Itasca Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Itasca Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 40 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Itasca Lake is a 1,065-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 40 feet (17-foot average). Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 36 other monitored lakes in Clearwater County, Itasca Lake ranks #33 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Itasca Lake covers about 1,100 acres in Clearwater County. It has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. The median ice-out date is April 23, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Itasca Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Itasca Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 23
- Deep water40 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,065 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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. Itasca Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Itasca 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 Itasca Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Itasca Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft. Phosphorus 26.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 14.1 µg/L. TSI 52.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 26.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 14.1µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 52 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Itasca Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 21, 2025 caught 2.42 walleye per gill net at Itasca Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Itasca Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
15 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-05 (Targeted Survey).
15 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-05 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muskellunge | 90.12 | 41–50 in 2019-05-07 | 20.58 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 32.05 | 5–10 in 2025-07-21 | 0.13 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 17.55 | ||
| Bluegill | 11.54 | 3–8 in 2025-07-21 | 0.28 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.
Muskellunge
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
From the 2025-08-05 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Itasca Lake on August 5th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Itasca Lake. 5 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ItascaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Itasca (1400)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Itasca (1401)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — ItascaFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — ItascaPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
40 ft
Average depth
17.3 ft
Surface area
1,065 acres
Shoreline
14.3 mi
Littoral zone
42%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
34 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,460 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Lake ItascaPublic
- Douglas LodgePublic
- Bear PawPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Itasca Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Itasca 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 Itasca 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 →
Follow Itasca Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Itasca Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2023–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-3.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-6 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 23
Earliest Mar 26, 2012 · Latest May 18, 1950
Typical ice-in
Nov 19
Earliest Oct 25, 1983 · Latest Dec 9, 2016
Most recent ice-out
Apr 20
2025
245 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Itasca Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN15-0016-00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Itasca Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Mdnr Itasca State ParkPark Rapids · 2.1 mi away · NPDES MN0033758Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Clearwater County
Frequently asked questions about Itasca Lake
Where is Itasca Lake?
- Itasca 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 Itasca Lake?
- Itasca Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 26.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 1065.11 acres.
Is Itasca Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Itasca Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Itasca Lake?
- Itasca Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet and an average depth of 17.3 feet. The lake covers 1065.11 acres.
What fish are in Itasca Lake?
- Fish species found in Itasca Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Itasca Lake is located in Clearwater County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Itasca Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 21, 2025 caught 2.42 walleye per gill net at Itasca Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Itasca Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Itasca Lake thaw?
- Itasca Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 23. Ice typically forms around Nov 19. The open water season is approximately 210 days.
Are there boat ramps on Itasca Lake?
- Itasca Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Itasca, Douglas Lodge, Bear Paw. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Itasca Lake?
- Itasca Lake has 3 documented boat landings 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 Itasca Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Clearwater County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Mississippi Headwaters, ranked by water quality
Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Minnesota
State Parks Near Itasca Lake
Other Lakes in Minnesota
Eutrophic Lakes in Minnesota
Compare Itasca Lake With Nearby Lakes
Where this data comes from
250 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2023–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA250 samples · 2023–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate