Little Saganaga Lake
Cook County, Minnesota1,627 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Saganaga Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 150 ft max depth
- Limited data
Little Saganaga Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 150 ft. Surface area: 1627.27 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2024 caught 3.80 northern pike per gill net at Little Saganaga Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–26 inches. DNR survey details →
Little Saganaga Lake is a 1,627-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 150 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including burbot, lake trout, and northern pike. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-06-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Little Saganaga Lake covers about 1,600 acres in Cook County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Little Saganaga Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Little Saganaga Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Deep water150 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,627 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Little Saganaga Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Saganaga 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 Saganaga Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Little Saganaga Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Little Saganaga Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2024 caught 3.80 northern pike per gill net at Little Saganaga Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–26 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Saganaga Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-09-09 (Standard Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2024-09-09 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 4.44 | 7–21 in 2024-09-09 | 1.56 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.00 | 9–26 in 2024-09-09 | 2.84 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 0.63 | 3–5 in 2024-09-09 | 0.11 lb |
| Lake Trout | 0.57 | 16–21 in 2024-09-09 | 2.27 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.
White Sucker
Northern Pike
Yellow Perch
Lake Trout
From the 2024-09-09 survey
Little Saganaga Lake is a large, 1,627-acre lake with a maximum depth of 150 ft and is primarily managed for lake trout. Little Saganaga Lake lies entirely within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWACW) and is a part of the Rainy River Headwaters watershed. Access is difficult due to multiple portages from…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Saganaga Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Little SaganagaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
150 ft
Surface area
1,627 acres
Shoreline
43.8 mi
Littoral zone
26%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
79 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,588 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Little Saganaga Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Little Saganaga Lake in Cook 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 Little Saganaga Lake
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Follow Little Saganaga Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Little Saganaga Lake
- → Little Saganaga Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Little Saganaga Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Little Saganaga Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Little Saganaga Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Little Saganaga 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 MN16-0809-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Little Saganaga Lake
Where is Little Saganaga Lake?
- Little Saganaga 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 Saganaga Lake?
- Little Saganaga Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 150 ft. Surface area: 1627.27 acres.
Is Little Saganaga Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Little Saganaga Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Little Saganaga Lake?
- Little Saganaga Lake has a maximum depth of 150 feet. The lake covers 1627.27 acres.
What fish are in Little Saganaga Lake?
- Fish species found in Little Saganaga Lake include burbot, lake trout, northern pike, white sucker, yellow perch. Little Saganaga Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Little Saganaga Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 9, 2024 caught 3.80 northern pike per gill net at Little Saganaga Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 9–26 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Saganaga Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Little Saganaga Lake?
- Public access to Little Saganaga 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 Saganaga Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 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
MNPCA4 samples · 2020–2025
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