Little Gunflint Lake
Cook County, Minnesota4,009 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Gunflint Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- spiny waterflea
- 200 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Little Gunflint Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 200 ft. Surface area: 4009.12 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 7, 2023 caught 4.62 walleye per gill net at Little Gunflint Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–27 inches. DNR survey details →
Little Gunflint Lake is a 4,009-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 200 feet. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including bluegill, burbot, and cisco species. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-08-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Little Gunflint Lake covers about 4,000 acres in Cook County. The median ice-out date is May 6, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Little Gunflint Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Little Gunflint Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16.2 ft of visibility
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around May 6
- Deep water200 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water4,009 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Gunflint 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 Gunflint Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Little Gunflint 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 16.2 ft down. Phosphorus 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.3 µg/L. TSI 34.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.3µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 34 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Little Gunflint Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 7, 2023 caught 4.62 walleye per gill net at Little Gunflint Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–27 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Gunflint Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-11 (Targeted Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-11 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Bass | 4.78 | 3–10 in 2023-08-07 | 0.32 lb |
| Walleye | 3.96 | 8–27 in 2023-08-07 | 1.4 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 3.42 | 3–10 in 2023-08-07 | 0.22 lb |
| White Sucker | 2.03 | 7–18 in 2023-08-07 | 2.29 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.
Rock Bass
Walleye
Tullibee (Cisco)
White Sucker
From the 2025-08-11 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Gunflint Lake on August 11th, 2025. This was done to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Trout, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake (Cisco,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Gunflint Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — GunflintFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Gunflint (1800)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — GunflintFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — GunflintPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
200 ft
Surface area
4,009 acres
Shoreline
39.2 mi
Littoral zone
17%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Little Gunflint Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Little Gunflint Lake
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Follow Little Gunflint Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Little Gunflint Lake
- → Little Gunflint Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Little Gunflint Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Little Gunflint Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Little Gunflint Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Ice season
Typical ice-out
May 6
Earliest Mar 23, 2012 · Latest Jun 3, 1936
Typical ice-in
Dec 9
Earliest Nov 27, 2002 · Latest Dec 23, 2001
Most recent ice-out
May 12
2023
87 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Little Gunflint Lake
Where is Little Gunflint Lake?
- Little Gunflint Lake is a lake in Cook 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 Gunflint Lake?
- Little Gunflint Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 200 ft. Surface area: 4009.12 acres.
Is Little Gunflint Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Little Gunflint Lake?
- Little Gunflint Lake has a maximum depth of 200 feet. The lake covers 4009.12 acres.
What fish are in Little Gunflint Lake?
- Fish species found in Little Gunflint Lake include bluegill, burbot, cisco species, lake trout, northern pike, rainbow smelt, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Little Gunflint Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Little Gunflint Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 7, 2023 caught 4.62 walleye per gill net at Little Gunflint Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–27 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Gunflint Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Little Gunflint Lake thaw?
- Little Gunflint Lake typically has ice-out around May 6. Ice typically forms around Dec 9. The open water season is approximately 217 days.
Can I fish at Little Gunflint Lake?
- Public access to Little Gunflint Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Gunflint Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota
Fish species and best lakes in Cook County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA5 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate