Little Wabana Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota116 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Wabana Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 57 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Little Wabana Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 24 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 6.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 57 ft. Surface area: 115.73 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 29, 2005 caught 4.33 walleye per gill net at Little Wabana Lake. DNR survey details →
Little Wabana Lake is a 116-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 57 feet. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including bluegill, green sunfish, and largemouth bass. Public access is available. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Little Wabana Lake ranks #47 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Little Wabana Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water24 ft of visibility
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 23
- Deep water57 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 Wabana 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 Wabana Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Little Wabana 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 24 ft down. Phosphorus 6.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.6 µg/L. TSI 33.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 24ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 6.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.6µg/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. | 33 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Little Wabana Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Little Wabana Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 74°F) and coldest in May (about 58°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (58°F) to its warmest (74°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 13 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Little Wabana Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 29, 2005 caught 4.33 walleye per gill net at Little Wabana Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Wabana 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
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2005-08-29 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2005-08-29 (Standard Survey)
21 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 24.72 | 3–8 in 2005-08-29 | 0.15 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 11.41 | 5–7 in 2005-08-29 | 0.18 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 10.41 | 6–14 in 2005-08-29 | 1.04 lb |
| Rock Bass | 2.94 | 4–11 in 2005-08-29 | 0.38 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.77 | 0.22 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 2.39 | 9–40 in 2005-08-29 | 5.07 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
Yellow Perch
Tullibee (Cisco)
Rock Bass
From the 2005-08-29 survey
Little Wabana Lake is a 104 acre lake located 11 miles north of Grand Rapids, MN in the Mississippi River watershed. The lake has a maximum depth of 57 feet and clear water (18 ft Secchi transparency). There is a privately owned boat access on the north end of the lake off County Road #49. As in the two previous…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Wabana 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 WabanaFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
57 ft
Surface area
116 acres
Shoreline
1.9 mi
Littoral zone
27%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
50 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,325 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Little Wabana Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Little Wabana Lake
- → Little Wabana Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Little Wabana Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Little Wabana Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Little Wabana Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 23
Earliest Apr 9, 2017 · Latest Dec 8, 2021
Typical ice-in
Dec 1
Earliest Dec 1, 2007 · Latest Dec 8, 2021
Most recent ice-out
May 7
2022
11 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Little Wabana Lake
Where is Little Wabana Lake?
- Little Wabana 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 Wabana Lake?
- Little Wabana Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 24 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 6.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 57 ft. Surface area: 115.73 acres.
Is Little Wabana 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 Wabana Lake?
- Little Wabana Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October, from 13 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Little Wabana Lake?
- Little Wabana Lake has a maximum depth of 57 feet. The lake covers 115.73 acres.
What fish are in Little Wabana Lake?
- Fish species found in Little Wabana Lake include bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, white sucker, yellow perch. Little Wabana Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Little Wabana Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 29, 2005 caught 4.33 walleye per gill net at Little Wabana Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Wabana 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.
When does Little Wabana Lake thaw?
- Little Wabana Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 23. Ice typically forms around Dec 1. The open water season is approximately 222 days.
Can I fish at Little Wabana Lake?
- Public access to Little Wabana 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 Wabana Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
74 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA74 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 (2)
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