Little Whitefish Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota160 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Whitefish Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 15 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Little Whitefish Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 160.4 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 28, 1975 caught 49.33 yellow perch per gill net at Little Whitefish Lake. DNR survey details →
Little Whitefish Lake is a 160-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 15 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Little Whitefish Lake ranks #34 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Little Whitefish Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.5 ft of visibility
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 Whitefish 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 Whitefish Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Little Whitefish Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 11.5 ft. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.1 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.1µg/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 Whitefish Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 28, 1975 caught 49.33 yellow perch per gill net at Little Whitefish Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Whitefish Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1975-08-28 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1975-08-28 (Standard Survey)
51 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 27.54 | 0.18 lb | |
| Yellow Bullhead | 0.96 | 0.6 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.
From the 1975-08-28 survey
Fish species and abundance are indicative of a periodic winterkill lake.
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Little Whitefish 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 WhitefishFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Little Whitefish (0679)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Little WhitefishPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
15 ft
Surface area
160 acres
Shoreline
2.3 mi
Littoral zone
99%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,339 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Little Whitefish Lake
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Fishing Little Whitefish Lake
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Little Whitefish Lake
Where is Little Whitefish Lake?
- Little Whitefish 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 Whitefish Lake?
- Little Whitefish Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 160.4 acres.
Is Little Whitefish Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Little Whitefish Lake?
- Little Whitefish Lake has a maximum depth of 15 feet. The lake covers 160.4 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Little Whitefish Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 28, 1975 caught 49.33 yellow perch per gill net at Little Whitefish Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Whitefish Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Little Whitefish Lake?
- Public access to Little Whitefish 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.
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Where this data comes from
15 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA15 samples · 2020
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