Lougee Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota212 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Lougee Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 53 ft max depth
- Public access
Lougee Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 53 ft. Surface area: 211.87 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 1997 caught 12.33 northern pike per gill net at Lougee Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–31 inches. DNR survey details →
Lougee Lake is a 212-acre mesotrophic lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 53 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Crow Wing County, Lougee Lake ranks #42 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lougee Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16.1 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing11 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 9
- Deep water53 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 Lougee 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 Lougee Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Lougee 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 16.1 ft down. Phosphorus 18.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 18.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.1µg/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. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lougee Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 1997 caught 12.33 northern pike per gill net at Lougee Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–31 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lougee Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1997-06-24 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1997-06-24 (Standard Survey)
29 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 71.54 | 3–7 in 1997-06-24 | 0.07 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 31.73 | 6–11 in 1997-06-24 | 0.51 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 11.23 | 5–8 in 1997-06-24 | 0.13 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 6.13 | 5–8 in 1997-06-24 | 0.21 lb |
| Northern Pike | 6.04 | 16–31 in 1997-06-24 | 2.59 lb |
| Black Crappie | 4.11 | 5–10 in 1997-06-24 | 0.14 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 Bullhead
Pumpkinseed
Hybrid Sunfish
From the 1997-06-24 survey
Lougee is a 217 acre lake located about five miles north of Merrifield, in Crow Wing County. Maximum depth is 53 feet and about 72% of the surface area is less than fifteen feet deep. In 1997 there were 59 homes/cabins located along the 2.2 miles of shoreline. Public accesses are present on the south and northwest…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Lougee Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — LougeeFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — LougeePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
53 ft
Surface area
212 acres
Shoreline
2.2 mi
Littoral zone
74%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Lougee LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lougee Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lougee Lake in Crow Wing 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 Lougee Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Lougee Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.23 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.24 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 9
Earliest Mar 13, 2024 · Latest May 10, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 23
Earliest Nov 7, 2017 · Latest Dec 8, 2016
Most recent ice-out
Apr 2
2025
47 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
Frequently asked questions about Lougee Lake
Where is Lougee Lake?
- Lougee Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lougee Lake?
- Lougee Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 53 ft. Surface area: 211.87 acres.
Is Lougee Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lougee Lake?
- Lougee Lake has a maximum depth of 53 feet. The lake covers 211.87 acres.
What fish are in Lougee Lake?
- Fish species found in Lougee Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Lougee Lake is located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Lougee Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 24, 1997 caught 12.33 northern pike per gill net at Lougee Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 16–31 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lougee Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Lougee Lake thaw?
- Lougee Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 9. Ice typically forms around Nov 23. The open water season is approximately 228 days.
Are there boat ramps on Lougee Lake?
- Lougee Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lougee Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lougee Lake?
- Lougee 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.
Explore Lougee Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
149 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
MNPCA149 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
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 details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate