Little Bass Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota363 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Bass Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 22 ft max depth
Little Bass Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 22 ft. Surface area: 362.57 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 15, 1990 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Little Bass Lake. DNR survey details →
Little Bass Lake is a 363-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 22 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Beltrami County, Little Bass Lake ranks #24 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Little Bass Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16 ft of visibility
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 16
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow 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 Little Bass 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 Little Bass Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Little Bass Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.5 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.5µg/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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Little Bass Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Little Bass Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in May (about 61°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (61°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 82 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Little Bass Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Little Bass Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (199,526 cells/mL) on April 25, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 15, 1990 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Little Bass Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Bass Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1990-08-15 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1990-08-15 (Standard Survey)
36 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 21.56 | 0.14 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 11.44 | 2.27 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 9.75 | 0.13 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 8.38 | 0.11 lb | |
| Largemouth Bass | 3.19 | 1.44 lb | |
| Black Crappie | 3.06 | 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.
From the 1990-08-15 survey
THE LAKE HAS NOT BEEN SURVEYED FOR QUITE A NUMBER OF YEARS. HOWEVER, NORTHERN PIKE HAVE EXHIBITED A HIGH RECRUITMENT OVER THE YEARS AND NOW HAVE DOMI NATED THE POPULATION. THE OTHER SPECIES, YEP, BLC , BLG, ARE TYPICAL OF THIS LAKE CLASSIFICATION AND ARE PRESENT IN NUMBERS SIMILAR TO WHAT WAS OBSERV ED DURING THE LAST…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Bass Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Little BassFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Little BassFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
22 ft
Surface area
363 acres
Shoreline
5 mi
Littoral zone
79%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,342 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Little Bass Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Little Bass Lake
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Follow Little Bass Lake’s readings
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Fishing Little Bass Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.34 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.06 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 16
Earliest Apr 1, 1981 · Latest May 5, 1996
Typical ice-in
Nov 18
Earliest Nov 10, 2018 · Latest Nov 26, 2024
Most recent ice-out
Apr 18
2025
47 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Beltrami County
Frequently asked questions about Little Bass Lake
Where is Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass 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 Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 22 ft. Surface area: 362.57 acres.
Is Little Bass 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 Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September, from 82 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass Lake has a maximum depth of 22 feet. The lake covers 362.57 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Little Bass Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 15, 1990 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Little Bass Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Bass Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Little Bass Lake thaw?
- Little Bass Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 16. Ice typically forms around Nov 18. The open water season is approximately 216 days.
Does Little Bass Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Little Bass Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (199,526 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Can I fish at Little Bass Lake?
- Public access to Little Bass 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 Little Bass Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
165 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA165 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate