Lone Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota69 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Lone Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 70 ft max depth
- Public access
Lone Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 70 ft. Surface area: 69.4 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 17, 2025 caught 6.67 northern pike per gill net at Lone Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–31 inches. DNR survey details →
Lone Lake is a 69-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 70 feet (19-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and hybrid sunfish. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 36 other monitored lakes in Clearwater County, Lone Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lone Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19.4 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing7 species recorded
- Deep water70 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Lone 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 Lone Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Lone 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 19.4 ft down. Phosphorus 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.8 µg/L. TSI 34.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 19.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.8µg/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. | 34 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Lone Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lone Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 55°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 57°F) and coldest in Jun (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 (57°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 380 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lone Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 17, 2025 caught 6.67 northern pike per gill net at Lone Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–31 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lone Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-06-17 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2025-06-17 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 24.29 | 3–11 in 2025-06-17 | 0.22 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 11.11 | 5–7 in 2025-06-17 | 0.39 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 7.06 | 5–14 in 2025-06-17 | 0.7 lb |
| Northern Pike | 5.27 | 14–31 in 2025-06-17 | 1.27 lb |
| Black Crappie | 2.60 | 4–11 in 2025-06-17 | 0.39 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 1.93 | 3–8 in 2025-06-17 | 0.22 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
Largemouth Bass
Northern Pike
From the 2025-06-17 survey
Lone Lake is a 69-acre, moderately developed natural lake located in central Clearwater County, approximately 5 miles north of Bagley, MN. Lone has a water clarity of 18.5 feet, a maximum depth of 70 feet, and no inlets or outlets. A small county-owned public water access is located on the northwestern shore of the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Lone Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — LoneFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Lone (1699)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — LoneFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — LonePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
70 ft
Average depth
19 ft
Surface area
69 acres
Shoreline
2.4 mi
Littoral zone
44%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,480 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Lone 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 Lone Lake
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Follow Lone Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Lone Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.4 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.01 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Clearwater County
Frequently asked questions about Lone Lake
Where is Lone Lake?
- Lone Lake is a lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lone Lake?
- Lone Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 70 ft. Surface area: 69.4 acres.
Is Lone 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 Lone Lake?
- Lone Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in September, from 380 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Lone Lake?
- Lone Lake has a maximum depth of 70 feet and an average depth of 19 feet. The lake covers 69.4 acres.
What fish are in Lone Lake?
- Fish species found in Lone Lake include black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow perch. Lone Lake is located in Clearwater County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Lone Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 17, 2025 caught 6.67 northern pike per gill net at Lone Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–31 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lone Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Lone Lake?
- Lone Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lone Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lone Lake?
- Lone 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
86 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
MNPCA86 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 (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