Snaptail Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota175 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Snaptail Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 70 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Snaptail Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 70 ft. Surface area: 174.55 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Snaptail Lake. DNR survey details →
Snaptail Lake is a 175-acre lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 70 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-09-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Snaptail Lake covers about 170 acres in Itasca County. The median ice-out date is April 14, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Snaptail Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Snaptail Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing8 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 14
- Deep water70 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 Snaptail 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 Snaptail Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Snaptail 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 9 ft. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9ft | 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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Snaptail Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Snaptail Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Snaptail Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
11 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-18 (Targeted Survey).
11 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-18 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 20.21 | 3–8 in 2025-08-18 | 0.09 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 13.55 | 5–6 in 2025-08-18 | 0.54 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 7.21 | 2.16 lb | |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 6.55 | ||
| Yellow Perch | 3.57 | 6 in 2025-08-18 | 0.11 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
From the 2025-08-18 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Snaptail Lake, was conducted on August 18th, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine, where possible.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Snaptail Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SnaptailFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Snaptail (0803)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Snaptail (2065)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — SnaptailPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
70 ft
Surface area
175 acres
Shoreline
3.2 mi
Littoral zone
33%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,332 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Snaptail Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Snaptail Lake in Itasca 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 Snaptail Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Snaptail Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 14
Earliest Mar 24, 2012 · Latest May 11, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 21
Earliest Nov 4, 1991 · Latest Dec 9, 2016
Most recent ice-out
May 5
2023
64 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Snaptail Lake
Where is Snaptail Lake?
- Snaptail 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 Snaptail Lake?
- Snaptail Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 70 ft. Surface area: 174.55 acres.
Is Snaptail Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Snaptail Lake?
- Snaptail Lake has a maximum depth of 70 feet. The lake covers 174.55 acres.
What fish are in Snaptail Lake?
- Fish species found in Snaptail Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow perch. Snaptail Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Snaptail Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 18, 2025 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Snaptail Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Snaptail Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 4 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Snaptail Lake thaw?
- Snaptail Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 14. Ice typically forms around Nov 21. The open water season is approximately 221 days.
Can I fish at Snaptail Lake?
- Public access to Snaptail Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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
30 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA30 samples · 2020–2023
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate