Little Jay Gould Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota150 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Jay Gould Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- zebra mussel
- 56 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Little Jay Gould Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 56 ft. Surface area: 149.97 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 1, 2022 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Little Jay Gould Lake. DNR survey details →
Little Jay Gould Lake is a 150-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 56 feet. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Little Jay Gould Lake ranks #45 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Little Jay Gould Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water21.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing16 species recorded
- Deep water56 ft surveyed max depth
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 Little Jay Gould 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 Jay Gould Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Little Jay Gould 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 21.5 ft down. Phosphorus 21.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.7 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 21.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 21.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.7µg/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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Little Jay Gould Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Little Jay Gould Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 59°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 61°F) and coldest in May (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (53°F) to its warmest (61°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 127 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Little Jay Gould Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 1, 2022 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Little Jay Gould Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Jay Gould Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. 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: 2025-08-06 (Targeted Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-06 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 11.79 | 17–19 in 2022-08-01 | 1.23 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 8.06 | 8–10 in 2022-08-01 | 0.87 lb |
| Bluegill | 7.11 | 1–9 in 2022-08-01 | 0.19 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.25 | 11–34 in 2022-08-01 | 1.41 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 2.46 | 5–10 in 2022-08-01 | 0.13 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.08 | 2–7 in 2022-08-01 | 0.13 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.
Tullibee (Cisco)
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Northern Pike
From the 2025-08-06 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Little Jay Gould 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…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Jay Gould Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Little Jay GouldFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Little Jay Gould (0597)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — Little Jay GouldFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Little Jay GouldPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
56 ft
Surface area
150 acres
Shoreline
3.8 mi
Littoral zone
52%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
74 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,276 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Little Jay Gould LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Little Jay Gould Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Little Jay Gould Lake
- → Little Jay Gould Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Little Jay Gould Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Little Jay Gould Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Little Jay Gould 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.
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Little Jay Gould Lake
Where is Little Jay Gould Lake?
- Little Jay Gould 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 Jay Gould Lake?
- Little Jay Gould Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 56 ft. Surface area: 149.97 acres.
Is Little Jay Gould 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 Jay Gould Lake?
- Little Jay Gould Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in September, from 127 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Little Jay Gould Lake?
- Little Jay Gould Lake has a maximum depth of 56 feet. The lake covers 149.97 acres.
What fish are in Little Jay Gould Lake?
- Fish species found in Little Jay Gould Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Little Jay Gould Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Little Jay Gould Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 1, 2022 caught 2.00 walleye per gill net at Little Jay Gould Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Jay Gould Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Little Jay Gould Lake?
- Little Jay Gould Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Little Jay Gould Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Little Jay Gould Lake?
- Little Jay Gould 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
14 measurements 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
MNPCA14 samples · 2024
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory