Quill Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota85 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Quill Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 46 ft max depth
- Limited data
Quill Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.7 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 46 ft. Surface area: 85.31 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 0.17 northern pike per gill net at Quill Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 44–44 inches. DNR survey details →
Quill Lake is a 85-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 46 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, and rock bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-08-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Quill Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.7 ft of visibility
- Fishing4 species recorded
- Deep water46 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Quill Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Quill 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 Quill Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Quill 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 10.7 ft. Chlorophyll-a 1.8 µg/L. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.7ft | 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) | 1.8µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 40 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Quill Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 0.17 northern pike per gill net at Quill Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 44–44 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Quill 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
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2015-07-27 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2015-07-27 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 5.71 | 5–15 in 2015-07-27 | 0.53 lb |
| Rock Bass | 0.56 | 4–8 in 2015-07-27 | 0.23 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 0.37 | 3–4 in 2015-07-27 | 0.05 lb |
| Northern Pike | 0.17 | 44 in 2015-07-27 | 18.08 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.
Largemouth Bass
Rock Bass
Pumpkinseed
Northern Pike
From the 2015-07-27 survey
Quill Lake is located about 19 miles ESE of International Falls, MN. The lake is 85 acres and generally deep; only 27 percent is less than 15 feet deep. Several species of sportfish were present in 2015. Largemouth Bass trap-net abundance was above the expected range for this lake type and above the level found in the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Quill Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — QuillFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
46 ft
Surface area
85 acres
Shoreline
2.8 mi
Littoral zone
27%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,171 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Quill Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Quill Lake
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Follow Quill Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Quill Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Quill 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 MN69-0871-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Quill Lake
Where is Quill Lake?
- Quill 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 Quill Lake?
- Quill Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.7 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 46 ft. Surface area: 85.31 acres.
Is Quill Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Quill Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Quill Lake?
- Quill Lake has a maximum depth of 46 feet. The lake covers 85.31 acres.
What fish are in Quill Lake?
- Fish species found in Quill Lake include largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, rock bass, yellow perch. Quill Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Quill Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 27, 2015 caught 0.17 northern pike per gill net at Quill Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 44–44 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Quill 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.
Can I fish at Quill Lake?
- Public access to Quill 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
5 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA4 samples · 2022 - USGS Minnesota Water Science Center
USGS-MN1 sample · 2023
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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