Pickerel Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota241 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Pickerel Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 70 ft max depth
- Public access
Pickerel Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 17.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 70 ft. Surface area: 240.65 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 2018 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Pickerel Lake. DNR survey details →
Pickerel Lake is a 241-acre mesotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 70 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and hybrid sunfish. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Pickerel Lake ranks #52 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Pickerel Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.2 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 20
- Deep water70 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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 Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Pickerel 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 10.2 ft. Phosphorus 17.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 17.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Pickerel Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Pickerel Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 73°F) and coldest in May (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (63°F) to its warmest (73°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 38 field readings (2022–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Pickerel Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 2018 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Pickerel Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pickerel 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
16 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2018-07-24 (Standard Survey).
16 surveys on file · most recent 2018-07-24 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 13.55 | 3–8 in 2018-07-24 | 0.27 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 12.82 | 5–15 in 2018-07-24 | 0.67 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 7.17 | 5–6 in 2018-07-24 | 0.14 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 6.60 | 18 in 2018-07-24 | 1.77 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.
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Perch
Tullibee (Cisco)
From the 2018-07-24 survey
Pickerel Lake is a 293-acre lake located 12 miles east of Effie, MN in the Bigfork River watershed. A concrete public access is located off Highway 533 on the western shore of the lake with parking for two vehicles with trailers. Pickerel Lake has a maximum depth of 70 feet and 18% of the lake is 15 feet or less. The…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pickerel Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PickerelFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Pickerel (0790)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — PickerelFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — PickerelPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
70 ft
Surface area
241 acres
Shoreline
4.6 mi
Littoral zone
22%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
12 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,335 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Pickerel Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Pickerel Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.17 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.15 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 20
Earliest Apr 9, 2017 · Latest May 14, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 19
Earliest Nov 4, 2002 · Latest Nov 29, 2015
Most recent ice-out
May 14
2022
15 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Pickerel Lake
Where is Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 17.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 70 ft. Surface area: 240.65 acres.
Is Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in August, from 38 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake has a maximum depth of 70 feet. The lake covers 240.65 acres.
What fish are in Pickerel Lake?
- Fish species found in Pickerel Lake include black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Pickerel Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Pickerel Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 24, 2018 caught 1.50 walleye per gill net at Pickerel Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake thaw?
- Pickerel Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 20. Ice typically forms around Nov 19. The open water season is approximately 213 days.
Are there boat ramps on Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Pickerel Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
104 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA104 samples · 2020–2024
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