Little Bass Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota161 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Bass Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 62 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Little Bass Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 62 ft. Surface area: 160.5 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 26, 2017 caught 0.83 walleye per gill net at Little Bass Lake. DNR survey details →
Little Bass Lake is a 161-acre lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 62 feet. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-08-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Little Bass Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.7 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 21
- Deep water62 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Little Bass Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. 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 17.7 ft down. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.7ft | 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. | 36 | 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.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 26, 2017 caught 0.83 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. 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: 2025-08-06 (Targeted Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-06 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 15.72 | 2–8 in 2017-06-26 | 0.23 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 4.59 | 3–18 in 2017-06-26 | 0.78 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.47 | 20–32 in 2017-06-26 | 2.03 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 3.94 | 8–14 in 2017-06-26 | 1.08 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.52 | 5–6 in 2017-06-26 | 0.19 lb |
| Rock Bass | 2.37 | 3–9 in 2017-06-26 | 0.38 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
Northern Pike
Tullibee (Cisco)
From the 2025-08-06 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Little Bass Lake on August 6th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Bass Lake. 3 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
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Little Bass (0596)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Little BassPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
62 ft
Surface area
161 acres
Shoreline
2.4 mi
Littoral zone
34%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,280 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Little Bass LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Little Bass Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Little Bass Lake
- → Little Bass Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Little Bass Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Little Bass Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Little Bass Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 21
Earliest Mar 27, 2012 · Latest May 14, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 28
Earliest Nov 16, 1997 · Latest Dec 19, 2015
Most recent ice-out
May 5
2018
93 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Little Bass 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 MN31-0575-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Little Bass Lake
Where is Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass Lake is a lake in Itasca 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 Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 62 ft. Surface area: 160.5 acres.
Is Little Bass Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Little Bass Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass Lake has a maximum depth of 62 feet. The lake covers 160.5 acres.
What fish are in Little Bass Lake?
- Fish species found in Little Bass Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Little Bass Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Little Bass Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 26, 2017 caught 0.83 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. 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 21. Ice typically forms around Nov 28. The open water season is approximately 221 days.
Are there boat ramps on Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Little Bass Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA1 sample · 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate