Jorgens Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota73 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Jorgens Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 21 ft max depth
- Limited data
Jorgens Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 72.61 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 8.50 northern pike per gill net at Jorgens Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–27 inches. DNR survey details →
Jorgens Lake is a 73-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 21 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including largemouth bass, northern pike, and yellow perch. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-08-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Jorgens Lake covers about 73 acres in St. Louis County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Jorgens Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Jorgens Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing3 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Jorgens Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Jorgens 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 Jorgens Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Jorgens 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 7.2 ft. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.2ft | 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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Jorgens Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 8.50 northern pike per gill net at Jorgens Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–27 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Jorgens Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. 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: 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Pike | 7.67 | 12–27 in 2025-07-07 | 1.96 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 2.21 | 6–17 in 2025-07-07 | 1.93 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 0.33 | 5–6 in 2005-07-05 | 0.08 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.
Northern Pike
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Perch
From the 2025-07-07 survey
Jorgens Lake is located approximately nine miles northeast of Kabetogama, Minnesota. This 72-acre lake has a maximum depth of 21 feet and dark tannin-stained water. A fisheries survey was completed in Jorgens Lake during the 2025 field season as part of a regular rotation of surveys in the International Falls…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Jorgens Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — JorgensFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
21 ft
Surface area
73 acres
Shoreline
2.8 mi
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,201 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Jorgens Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Jorgens Lake in St. Louis 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 Jorgens Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Jorgens Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.46 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Jorgens Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN69-0867-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Jorgens Lake
Where is Jorgens Lake?
- Jorgens 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 Jorgens Lake?
- Jorgens Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 72.61 acres.
Is Jorgens Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Jorgens Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Jorgens Lake?
- Jorgens Lake has a maximum depth of 21 feet. The lake covers 72.61 acres.
What fish are in Jorgens Lake?
- Fish species found in Jorgens Lake include largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch. Jorgens Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Jorgens Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 8.50 northern pike per gill net at Jorgens Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–27 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Jorgens Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Jorgens Lake?
- Public access to Jorgens 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
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Minnesota Water Science Center
USGS-MN1 sample · 2023
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