Johnson Lake
Lake County, Minnesota36 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Johnson Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 24 ft max depth
- Limited data
Johnson Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 35.83 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 28, 2009 caught 9.00 walleye per gill net at Johnson Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–21 inches. DNR survey details →
Johnson Lake is a 36-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 24 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including smallmouth bass, walleye, and white sucker. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Johnson Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11 ft of visibility
- Fishing4 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around May 2
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Johnson Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Johnson 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 Johnson Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Johnson 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 11 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Johnson Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 28, 2009 caught 9.00 walleye per gill net at Johnson Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–21 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Johnson Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2009-07-28 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2009-07-28 (Standard Survey)
17 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 55.83 | 6–8 in 2009-07-28 | 0.23 lb |
| White Sucker | 43.60 | 6–19 in 2009-07-28 | 1.59 lb |
| Walleye | 17.25 | 7–21 in 2009-07-28 | 1.01 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 4.15 | 1–5 in 2009-07-28 | 0.3 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.
Yellow Perch
White Sucker
Walleye
Smallmouth Bass
From the 2009-07-28 survey
Johnson is a 30.5 acre lake with a maximum depth of 24 feet and 18.1 acres (59%) of littoral area. Located about 3.5 miles southeast of Finland, MN, Johnson Lake is completely on property owned by the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center (ELC). The simplistic fish community consists of: walleye, white sucker,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Johnson Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — JohnsonFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Johnson (0652)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
24 ft
Surface area
36 acres
Shoreline
1.3 mi
Littoral zone
59%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,204 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Johnson Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Johnson Lake in Lake 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 Johnson Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Johnson Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
May 2
Earliest Apr 2, 2012 · Latest May 16, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 17
Earliest Oct 28, 1988 · Latest Dec 9, 2016
Most recent ice-out
May 4
2025
82 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Johnson 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 MN38-0242-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Johnson Lake
Where is Johnson Lake?
- Johnson Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Johnson Lake?
- Johnson Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 24 ft. Surface area: 35.83 acres.
Is Johnson Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Johnson Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Johnson Lake?
- Johnson Lake has a maximum depth of 24 feet. The lake covers 35.83 acres.
What fish are in Johnson Lake?
- Fish species found in Johnson Lake include smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Johnson Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Johnson Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 28, 2009 caught 9.00 walleye per gill net at Johnson Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–21 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Johnson Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Johnson Lake thaw?
- Johnson Lake typically has ice-out around May 2. Ice typically forms around Nov 17. The open water season is approximately 199 days.
Can I fish at Johnson Lake?
- Public access to Johnson 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.
Explore Johnson Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
29 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA29 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate