North Twin Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota326 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for North Twin Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 59 ft max depth
- Public access
North Twin Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 59 ft. Surface area: 325.63 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 2023 caught 3.22 walleye per gill net at North Twin Lake. DNR survey details →
North Twin Lake is a 326-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 59 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 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 Beltrami County, North Twin Lake ranks #21 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What North Twin Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.4 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 24
- Deep water59 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 North Twin 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 North Twin Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for North Twin 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 17.4 ft down. Phosphorus 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.9 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.9µg/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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about North Twin Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
North Twin Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in May (about 68°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (68°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 17 field readings (2016–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full North Twin Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for North Twin Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (108,643 cells/mL) on April 25, 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 July 24, 2023 caught 3.22 walleye per gill net at North Twin Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows North Twin 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
9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-20 (Targeted Survey).
9 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-20 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 33.40 | ||
| Bluegill | 16.51 | 3–9 in 2023-07-24 | 0.18 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 12.44 | 3–18 in 2023-07-24 | 0.66 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 7.50 |
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
Largemouth Bass
From the 2025-08-20 survey
Minnesota DNR Fisheries IBI program staff conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on North Twin Lake on August 20th, 2025, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 30 survey sites evenly spaced 200 meters around the lake. Assessments were made in three habitat zones: Shoreline…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for North Twin Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — North TwinFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — North Twin (1757)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — North TwinFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — North TwinPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
59 ft
Surface area
326 acres
Shoreline
3.8 mi
Littoral zone
42%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,319 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- North Twin 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 North Twin Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near North Twin Lake
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Follow North Twin Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing North Twin Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.44 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable0 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 24
Earliest Apr 9, 2017 · Latest May 9, 1996
Typical ice-in
Nov 28
Earliest Nov 15, 2018 · Latest Dec 3, 2004
Most recent ice-out
May 8
2022
11 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Beltrami County
Frequently asked questions about North Twin Lake
Where is North Twin Lake?
- North Twin Lake is a lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of North Twin Lake?
- North Twin Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 59 ft. Surface area: 325.63 acres.
Is North Twin 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 North Twin Lake?
- North Twin Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in September, from 17 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is North Twin Lake?
- North Twin Lake has a maximum depth of 59 feet. The lake covers 325.63 acres.
What fish are in North Twin Lake?
- Fish species found in North Twin Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. North Twin Lake is located in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at North Twin Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 2023 caught 3.22 walleye per gill net at North Twin Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows North Twin 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.
When does North Twin Lake thaw?
- North Twin Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24. Ice typically forms around Nov 28. The open water season is approximately 218 days.
Does North Twin Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for North Twin Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (108,643 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on North Twin Lake?
- North Twin Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include North Twin Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at North Twin Lake?
- North Twin 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 North Twin Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
78 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
MNPCA78 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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate