Joe Martin Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota68 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Joe Martin Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 77 ft max depth
Joe Martin 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: 35.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 77 ft. Surface area: 67.8 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Joe Martin Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–26 inches. DNR survey details →
Joe Martin Lake is a 68-acre mesotrophic lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 77 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and hybrid sunfish. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in St. Louis County, Joe Martin Lake ranks #54 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Joe Martin Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing8 species recorded
- Deep water77 ft surveyed max depth
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Joe Martin 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 Joe Martin Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Joe Martin 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 35.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.3 µg/L. TSI 44.
| 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 | 35.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.3µg/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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Joe Martin Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Joe Martin Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in May (about 47°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (47°F) to its warmest (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 479 field readings (2010–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Joe Martin Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Joe Martin Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Joe Martin Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-18 (Targeted Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-18 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 22.84 | 3–9 in 2025-08-18 | 0.16 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 8.45 | 4–14 in 2025-08-18 | 0.7 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.94 | 4–7 in 2025-08-18 | 0.21 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.48 | 8–26 in 2025-08-18 | 1.42 lb |
| Black Crappie | 1.89 | 5–10 in 2025-08-18 | 0.32 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
Largemouth Bass
Pumpkinseed
Northern Pike
From the 2025-08-18 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Joe Martin Lake, which is located within Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Nation, was conducted on August 18 - August 20, 2025 by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) Program and Fond du Lac Band of Ojibwe Natural Resources staff. Sampling sites were…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Joe Martin Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MartinFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Martin (0466)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
77 ft
Surface area
68 acres
Shoreline
1.4 mi
Littoral zone
35%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,316 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Joe Martin Lake
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Fish Species
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Fishing Joe Martin Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+53.7 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.16 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Joe Martin Lake
Where is Joe Martin Lake?
- Joe Martin 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 Joe Martin Lake?
- Joe Martin 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: 35.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 77 ft. Surface area: 67.8 acres.
Is Joe Martin 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 Joe Martin Lake?
- Joe Martin Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in October, from 479 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Joe Martin Lake?
- Joe Martin Lake has a maximum depth of 77 feet. The lake covers 67.8 acres.
What fish are in Joe Martin Lake?
- Fish species found in Joe Martin Lake include black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, yellow perch. Joe Martin Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Joe Martin Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Joe Martin Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–26 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Joe Martin Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Joe Martin Lake?
- Public access to Joe Martin 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.
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Where this data comes from
423 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa (MN)
FONDULAC_WQX423 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Color, APHA Platinum-Cobalt
- For determination of Copper by the Bicinchoninate method.
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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