Lake Mitchell
Sherburne County, Minnesota170 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Mitchell. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- 2 aquatic invasives
- 33 ft max depth
- Limited data
Lake Mitchell in Sherburne County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 33 ft. Surface area: 169.5 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 19, 2019 caught 16.10 bluegill per hour of electrofishing at Lake Mitchell. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–9 inches. DNR survey details →
Lake Mitchell is a 170-acre lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 33 feet (14-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-07-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Mitchell covers about 170 acres in Sherburne County. The median ice-out date is April 6, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Mitchell on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Mitchell is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 6
- Deep water33 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Mitchell is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Mitchell 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 Lake Mitchell
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Lake Mitchell, 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 10.5 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | 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 Lake Mitchell
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 19, 2019 caught 16.10 bluegill per hour of electrofishing at Lake Mitchell. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–9 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lake Mitchell’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2019-06-19 (Targeted Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2019-06-19 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 26.90 | ||
| Bluegill | 23.92 | 2–9 in 2017-08-02 | 0.11 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 17.09 | 5–19 in 2017-08-02 | 0.98 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 12.77 | 4 in 2017-05-31 | 0.1 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 9.40 | 3–8 in 2017-08-02 | 0.23 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
Green Sunfish
Hybrid Sunfish
From the 2019-06-19 survey
A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community was conducted on June 19, 2019 by Fisheries Lake IBI program staff. Sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Lake Mitchell. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MitchellFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — MitchellFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
33 ft
Average depth
13.8 ft
Surface area
170 acres
Shoreline
2.2 mi
Littoral zone
63%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Mitchell
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Mitchell in Sherburne 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 Lake Mitchell
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Lake Mitchell
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 Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+3.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.7 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 6
Earliest Mar 3, 2024 · Latest May 1, 2018
Most recent ice-out
Mar 3
2024
25 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Mitchell 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: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN71-0081-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Sherburne County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Mitchell
Where is Lake Mitchell?
- Lake Mitchell is a lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Mitchell?
- Lake Mitchell in Sherburne County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 33 ft. Surface area: 169.5 acres.
Is Lake Mitchell safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Mitchell is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Mitchell?
- Lake Mitchell has a maximum depth of 33 feet and an average depth of 13.8 feet. The lake covers 169.5 acres.
What fish are in Lake Mitchell?
- Fish species found in Lake Mitchell include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Lake Mitchell is located in Sherburne County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Lake Mitchell?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 19, 2019 caught 16.10 bluegill per hour of electrofishing at Lake Mitchell. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–9 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lake Mitchell’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Lake Mitchell thaw?
- Lake Mitchell typically has ice-out around Apr 6.
Can I fish at Lake Mitchell?
- Public access to Lake Mitchell 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 Lake Mitchell across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS2 samples · 2022–2023
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate