Kitchi Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota1,865 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Kitchi Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- zebra mussel
- 50 ft max depth
- Limited data
Kitchi Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 1864.98 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 29, 2024 caught 0.31 walleye per trap net at Kitchi Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Kitchi Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 50 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Kitchi Lake is a 1,865-acre mesotrophic lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 50 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Beltrami County, Kitchi Lake ranks #75 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Kitchi Lake covers about 1,900 acres in Beltrami County. The median ice-out date is April 22, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Kitchi Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Kitchi Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing16 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 22
- Deep water50 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,865 acres
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 Kitchi 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 Kitchi Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Kitchi 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 8.2 ft. Phosphorus 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.5 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 23µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7.5µg/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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Kitchi Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Kitchi Lake typically sits around 56°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 67°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 69°F) and coldest in May (about 56°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (56°F) to its warmest (69°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 91 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Kitchi Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 29, 2024 caught 0.31 walleye per trap net at Kitchi Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Kitchi Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-07-29 (Targeted Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2024-07-29 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 38.44 | 4–10 in 2024-07-29 | 0.15 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 7.39 | ||
| Bluntnose Minnow | 6.63 |
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
From the 2024-07-29 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Kitchi Lake, which is located wholly within the Leech Lake Nation, was conducted on July 29 - August 1, 2024, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Kitchi Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — KitchiFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — KitchiFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
50 ft
Surface area
1,865 acres
Shoreline
14.2 mi
Littoral zone
38%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Kitchi Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Kitchi Lake in Beltrami 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 Kitchi Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Kitchi Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.6 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.62 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 22
Earliest Apr 14, 2005 · Latest Apr 25, 2011
Most recent ice-out
Apr 25
2011
5 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Beltrami County
Frequently asked questions about Kitchi Lake
Where is Kitchi Lake?
- Kitchi Lake is a lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Kitchi Lake?
- Kitchi Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 1864.98 acres.
Is Kitchi 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 Kitchi Lake?
- Kitchi Lake typically sits around 56°F at the surface in October, from 91 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Kitchi Lake?
- Kitchi Lake has a maximum depth of 50 feet. The lake covers 1864.98 acres.
What fish are in Kitchi Lake?
- Fish species found in Kitchi Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Kitchi Lake is located in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Kitchi Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 29, 2024 caught 0.31 walleye per trap net at Kitchi Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Kitchi Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Kitchi Lake thaw?
- Kitchi Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 22.
Can I fish at Kitchi Lake?
- Public access to Kitchi 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 Kitchi Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Beltrami County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
33 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
LEECHLAK_WQX24 samples · 2025 - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA9 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrate-Nitrite Nitrogen by Colorimetry
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate