Moose Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota412 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Moose Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 52 ft max depth
- Public access
Moose Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 52 ft. Surface area: 412.3 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2018 caught 5.67 walleye per gill net at Moose Lake. DNR survey details →
Moose Lake is a 412-acre mesotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 52 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, brown bullhead, and largemouth bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Moose Lake ranks #12 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2021-09-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Moose Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Deep water52 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 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.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft. Phosphorus 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.1 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 24µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.1µg/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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Moose Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Moose Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 59°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 62°F) and coldest in Jun (about 56°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (56°F) to its warmest (62°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 66 field readings (2021–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Moose Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (199,526 cells/mL) on May 23, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2018 caught 5.67 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 2 years of monitoring is improving. 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: 2018-08-06 (Standard Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2018-08-06 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 54.18 | 5–9 in 2018-08-06 | 0.19 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 15.23 | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 5.46 | 4–14 in 2018-08-06 | 0.85 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.14 | 17–28 in 2018-08-06 | 1.9 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.
Yellow Perch
Largemouth Bass
Northern Pike
From the 2018-08-06 survey
Moose Lake is a small lake located six miles southeast of Northome, MN in northern Itasca County. The lake lies within the Chippewa National Forest and the Big Fork River watershed. Much of the shoreline is undeveloped forest land managed by the US Forest Service. There is a concrete ramp public access at the south…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Moose Lake. 4 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 (0697)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — MooseFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — MoosePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
52 ft
Surface area
412 acres
Shoreline
6.6 mi
Littoral zone
23%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
15 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,352 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Moose 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 Moose Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Moose 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 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 readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2021). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+21.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-2.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Moose Lake
Where is Moose Lake?
- Moose 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 Moose Lake?
- Moose Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 52 ft. Surface area: 412.3 acres.
Is Moose 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 Moose Lake?
- Moose Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in September, from 66 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2021–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Moose Lake?
- Moose Lake has a maximum depth of 52 feet. The lake covers 412.3 acres.
What fish are in Moose Lake?
- Fish species found in Moose Lake include black crappie, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Moose Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Moose Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2018 caught 5.67 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 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Does Moose Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Moose Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (199,526 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Moose Lake?
- Moose Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Moose Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Moose Lake?
- Moose 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 Moose Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
29 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA29 samples · 2020–2021
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by 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