Ogishkemuncie Lake
Lake County, Minnesota762 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ogishkemuncie Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 75 ft max depth
- Limited data
Ogishkemuncie Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 75 ft. Surface area: 762.35 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 19, 2016 caught 8.44 walleye per gill net at Ogishkemuncie Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–28 inches. DNR survey details →
Ogishkemuncie Lake is a 762-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 75 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including lake trout, lake whitefish, and northern pike. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-07-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ogishkemuncie Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Deep water75 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ogishkemuncie Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ogishkemuncie 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 Ogishkemuncie Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Ogishkemuncie 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 11.5 ft. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.5ft | 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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Ogishkemuncie Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 19, 2016 caught 8.44 walleye per gill net at Ogishkemuncie Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–28 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ogishkemuncie Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2016-09-19 (Standard Survey).
4 surveys on file · most recent 2016-09-19 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 3.24 | 7–28 in 2016-09-19 | 1.56 lb |
| Northern Pike | 1.41 | 14–31 in 2016-09-19 | 2.03 lb |
| White Sucker | 1.23 | 11–23 in 2016-09-19 | 3.4 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 0.38 | 5 in 2001-09-10 | 0.07 lb |
| Lake Trout | 0.25 | 7–20 in 2016-09-19 | 3.68 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.
Walleye
Northern Pike
White Sucker
Yellow Perch
From the 2016-09-19 survey
Ogishkemuncie Lake is located within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) within the Superior National Forest and is a non-motorized lake. It is approximately 40 miles northeast of Ely. There are six portage accesses from other nearby lakes. Ogish is 762 acres with a maximum depth of 75 feet and clear…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ogishkemuncie Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — OgishkemuncieFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
75 ft
Surface area
762 acres
Shoreline
23.9 mi
Littoral zone
38%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
104 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,476 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ogishkemuncie Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Ogishkemuncie Lake
- → Ogishkemuncie Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Ogishkemuncie Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Ogishkemuncie Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Ogishkemuncie Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
EPA Impairment Status
Ogishkemuncie Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN38-0180-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Ogishkemuncie Lake
Where is Ogishkemuncie Lake?
- Ogishkemuncie Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ogishkemuncie Lake?
- Ogishkemuncie Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 75 ft. Surface area: 762.35 acres.
Is Ogishkemuncie Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ogishkemuncie Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ogishkemuncie Lake?
- Ogishkemuncie Lake has a maximum depth of 75 feet. The lake covers 762.35 acres.
What fish are in Ogishkemuncie Lake?
- Fish species found in Ogishkemuncie Lake include lake trout, lake whitefish, northern pike, walleye, white sucker. Ogishkemuncie Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ogishkemuncie Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 19, 2016 caught 8.44 walleye per gill net at Ogishkemuncie Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–28 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ogishkemuncie Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Ogishkemuncie Lake?
- Public access to Ogishkemuncie 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 Ogishkemuncie Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 6 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
MNPCA9 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (6)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder