Peary Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota116 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Peary Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 15 ft max depth
Peary Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 116.12 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 14, 2025 caught 0.60 northern pike per fyke net at Peary Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–22 inches. DNR survey details →
Peary Lake is a 116-acre mesotrophic lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 15 feet (8-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including black crappie, green sunfish, and northern pike. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in St. Louis County, Peary Lake ranks #29 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-08-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Peary Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing8 species recorded
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. Peary Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Peary 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 Peary Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Peary 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 6.7 ft. Phosphorus 20.2 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20.2µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Peary Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Peary Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 69°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 70°F) and coldest in Jun (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 (70°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 192 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Peary Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 14, 2025 caught 0.60 northern pike per fyke net at Peary Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–22 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Peary Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-14 (Targeted Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-14 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkinseed | 29.59 | 1–3 in 2018-07-20 | 0.02 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 20.34 | 2–6 in 2025-07-14 | 0.05 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 18.17 | 2–3 in 2025-07-14 | 0.01 lb |
| Northern Pike | 8.62 | 12–22 in 2025-07-14 | 1.79 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.
Pumpkinseed
Yellow Perch
Golden Shiner
Northern Pike
From the 2025-07-14 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Peary Lake, was conducted on July 14 -July 18, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment Program staff. Nearshore sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, and seining with a 50-foot or…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Peary Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PearyFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
15 ft
Average depth
8 ft
Surface area
116 acres
Shoreline
2.6 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,119 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Peary Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Peary Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Peary Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.88 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Peary 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 MN69-0833-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Peary Lake
Where is Peary Lake?
- Peary Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Peary Lake?
- Peary Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 116.12 acres.
Is Peary Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Peary Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Peary Lake?
- Peary Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in August, from 192 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Peary Lake?
- Peary Lake has a maximum depth of 15 feet and an average depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 116.12 acres.
What fish are in Peary Lake?
- Fish species found in Peary Lake include black crappie, green sunfish, northern pike, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, white sucker, yellow perch. Peary Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Peary Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 14, 2025 caught 0.60 northern pike per fyke net at Peary Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–22 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Peary Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Peary Lake?
- Public access to Peary 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.
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Where this data comes from
27 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- National Park Service Water Resources Division
11NPSWRD_WQX27 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Secchi Disk
- Alkaline Persulfate Digestion for Total N and P in Water
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder