Mirror Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota109 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Mirror Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 45 ft max depth
- Public access
Mirror Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 109.11 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 25, 2022 caught 0.78 northern pike per trap net at Mirror Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 13–25 inches. DNR survey details →
Mirror Lake is a 109-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 45 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Mirror Lake ranks #26 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Mirror Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water18 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing8 species recorded
- Deep water45 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 Mirror 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 Mirror Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Mirror 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 18 ft down. Phosphorus 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.7 µg/L. TSI 37.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 18ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 11µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.7µg/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. | 37 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Mirror Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 25, 2022 caught 0.78 northern pike per trap net at Mirror Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 13–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mirror 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
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-07-25 (Targeted Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2022-07-25 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 34.80 | 3–9 in 2022-07-25 | 0.14 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 18.01 | 6–8 in 2022-07-25 | 0.15 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 8.54 | 5–17 in 2022-07-25 | 0.65 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 7.98 | 5 in 2017-06-12 | 0.07 lb |
| Northern Pike | 5.72 | 13–25 in 2022-07-25 | 2.24 lb |
| Rock Bass | 5.69 | 3–10 in 2022-07-25 | 0.29 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
Golden Shiner
From the 2022-07-25 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Mirror Lake was conducted on July 25th, 2022 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Mirror Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MirrorFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Mirror (0641)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — MirrorPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
45 ft
Surface area
109 acres
Shoreline
1.9 mi
Littoral zone
44%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,404 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Mirror 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 Mirror Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Mirror Lake in Itasca 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 Mirror Lake
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Follow Mirror Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Mirror Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.07 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.26 µg/L/yr3 years
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Mirror Lake
Where is Mirror Lake?
- Mirror 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 Mirror Lake?
- Mirror Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 109.11 acres.
Is Mirror Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Mirror Lake?
- Mirror Lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet. The lake covers 109.11 acres.
What fish are in Mirror Lake?
- Fish species found in Mirror Lake include black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch. Mirror Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Mirror Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 25, 2022 caught 0.78 northern pike per trap net at Mirror Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 13–25 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Mirror 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.
Are there boat ramps on Mirror Lake?
- Mirror Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Mirror Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Mirror Lake?
- Mirror 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
29 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA29 samples · 2020–2023
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