Moose Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota133 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Moose Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 67 ft max depth
- Limited data
Moose Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 67 ft. Surface area: 132.66 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 15, 2009 caught 0.17 walleye per gill net at Moose Lake. DNR survey details →
Moose Lake is a 133-acre lake in Carlton County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 67 feet (23-foot average). The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Moose Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 20
- Deep water67 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Moose 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 Moose Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Moose 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 10.5 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading 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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Moose Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 15, 2009 caught 0.17 walleye per gill net at Moose Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Moose 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
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2009-06-15 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2009-06-15 (Standard Survey)
17 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 43.92 | 7–18 in 2009-06-15 | 0.97 lb |
| Bluegill | 11.57 | 3–8 in 2009-06-15 | 0.14 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.76 | 5–7 in 2009-06-15 | 0.11 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.64 | 13–28 in 2009-06-15 | 1.49 lb |
| Black Crappie | 2.19 | 4–10 in 2009-06-15 | 0.22 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 1.70 | 9–13 in 2009-06-15 | 0.85 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.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
Northern Pike
From the 2009-06-15 survey
Moose is a 125 acre lake with 41 acres (33%) of littoral area and a maximum depth of 67 feet. Moose Lake (also known as Little Moose Lake) is located two miles east of the Town of Moose Lake off County Hwy #137. Moose Lake has a privately owned campground with a sand boat access. Moose Lake was last surveyed in 1999.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Moose Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — MooseFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Moose (0265)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Moose (2026)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
67 ft
Average depth
23 ft
Surface area
133 acres
Shoreline
2.2 mi
Littoral zone
31%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,099 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Moose Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Moose Lake in Carlton 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 Moose Lake
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Follow Moose Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Moose Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 20
Earliest Apr 6, 1998 · Latest May 5, 2022
Typical ice-in
Dec 1
Earliest Nov 29, 2023 · Latest Dec 5, 2024
Most recent ice-out
Apr 14
2025
14 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Carlton County
Frequently asked questions about Moose Lake
Where is Moose Lake?
- Moose Lake is a lake in Carlton County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Moose Lake?
- Moose Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 67 ft. Surface area: 132.66 acres.
Is Moose Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Moose Lake?
- Moose Lake has a maximum depth of 67 feet and an average depth of 23 feet. The lake covers 132.66 acres.
What fish are in Moose Lake?
- Fish species found in Moose Lake include black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Moose Lake is located in Carlton County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Moose Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 15, 2009 caught 0.17 walleye per gill net at Moose Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Moose 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 Moose Lake thaw?
- Moose Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 20. Ice typically forms around Dec 1. The open water season is approximately 225 days.
Can I fish at Moose Lake?
- Public access to Moose Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. 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 Moose Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
41 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
MNPCA41 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate