Smith Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota193 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Smith Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 51 ft max depth
- Limited data
Smith Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 51 ft. Surface area: 193.22 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 14, 2020 caught 4.83 walleye per gill net at Smith Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–22 inches. DNR survey details →
Smith Lake is a 193-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 51 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Smith Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water15 ft of visibility
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 27
- Deep water51 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Smith 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 Smith Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Smith Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 15ft | 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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Smith Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 14, 2020 caught 4.83 walleye per gill net at Smith Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–22 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Smith 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
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2020-08-14 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2020-08-14 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 14.28 | 5–8 in 2020-08-14 | 0.12 lb |
| Bluegill | 9.71 | 3–9 in 2020-08-14 | 0.2 lb |
| Rock Bass | 5.39 | 3–8 in 2020-08-14 | 0.39 lb |
| Walleye | 3.28 | 8–22 in 2020-08-14 | 1.13 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.36 | 10–26 in 2020-08-14 | 1.72 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 1.91 | 3–5 in 2020-08-14 | 0.13 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.
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Rock Bass
Walleye
From the 2020-08-14 survey
Smith (Lower Pequaywan) Lake is a 193-acre lake with 74 (38%) littoral acres and a maximum depth of 51 feet. The lake is located about 14 miles northeast of Two Harbors, MN but there is no public access to the lake. Walleye is the primary management species and Northern Pike is the secondary management species. Smith…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Smith Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SmithFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Smith (0495)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
51 ft
Surface area
193 acres
Shoreline
5 mi
Littoral zone
38%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
57 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,467 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Smith Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Smith Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Smith Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Smith Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 27
Earliest Apr 15, 2005 · Latest May 3, 2008
Typical ice-in
Nov 24
Earliest Nov 19, 2006 · Latest Nov 27, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Apr 29
2020
8 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Smith Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Smith Lake (completed 1939), built primarily for recreation on the Little Cloquet River; gravity-type dam, 9 ft tall and 42 ft long.
- Surface area
- 220 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,988 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,517 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 23.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00002 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Smith Lake
Where is Smith Lake?
- Smith 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 Smith Lake?
- Smith Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 51 ft. Surface area: 193.22 acres.
Is Smith Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Smith Lake?
- Smith Lake has a maximum depth of 51 feet. The lake covers 193.22 acres.
What fish are in Smith Lake?
- Fish species found in Smith Lake include black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Smith Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Smith Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 14, 2020 caught 4.83 walleye per gill net at Smith Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 8–22 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Smith 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 Smith Lake thaw?
- Smith Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 27. Ice typically forms around Nov 24. The open water season is approximately 211 days.
Can I fish at Smith Lake?
- Public access to Smith 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
91 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA91 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate