Shumway Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota74 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Shumway Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 23 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Shumway Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 74.18 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 3.00 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Shumway Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–19 inches. DNR survey details →
Shumway Lake is a 74-acre lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 23 feet. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-10-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Shumway Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing6 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Shumway 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 Shumway Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Shumway Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 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. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Shumway Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Shumway Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 67°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 72°F) and coldest in May (about 58°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (58°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 20 field readings (2016–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Shumway Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 3.00 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Shumway Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–19 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Shumway Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-28 (Targeted Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-28 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Bullhead | 54.38 | 10–14 in 1996-06-03 | 0.89 lb |
| Bluegill | 29.08 | 3–8 in 2025-06-09 | 0.31 lb |
| Black Crappie | 15.61 | 4–14 in 2025-06-09 | 0.27 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 9.15 | 3–19 in 2025-06-09 | 0.92 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 8.11 | 6 in 2025-06-09 | 0.08 lb |
| Northern Pike | 5.36 | 22–34 in 2025-06-09 | 2.97 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.
Brown Bullhead
Bluegill
Black Crappie
Largemouth Bass
From the 2025-07-28 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Shumway Lake was conducted on July 28, 2025, by Aitkin area fisheries staff. Sampling sites (N=10) were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Shumway Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ShumwayFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Shumway (0084)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — ShumwayPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
23 ft
Surface area
74 acres
Shoreline
1.6 mi
Littoral zone
38%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,266 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Shumway LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Shumway Lake
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Fish Species
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Fishing Shumway Lake
Nearby Lakes in Aitkin County
Frequently asked questions about Shumway Lake
Where is Shumway Lake?
- Shumway Lake is a lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Shumway Lake?
- Shumway Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 74.18 acres.
Is Shumway 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 Shumway Lake?
- Shumway Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September, from 20 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Shumway Lake?
- Shumway Lake has a maximum depth of 23 feet. The lake covers 74.18 acres.
What fish are in Shumway Lake?
- Fish species found in Shumway Lake include black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow perch. Shumway Lake is located in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Shumway Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 28, 2025 caught 3.00 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Shumway Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–19 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Shumway Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Shumway Lake?
- Shumway Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Shumway Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Shumway Lake?
- Shumway 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.
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Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA5 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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