Spoon Lake
Lake County, Minnesota256 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Spoon Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 85 ft max depth
- Limited data
Spoon Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 85 ft. Surface area: 255.85 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 14, 2015 caught 2.33 northern pike per gill net at Spoon Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–32 inches. DNR survey details →
Spoon Lake is a 256-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 85 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-07-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Spoon Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13 ft of visibility
- Deep water85 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 Spoon 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 Spoon Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Spoon 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 13 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13ft | 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. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Spoon Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 14, 2015 caught 2.33 northern pike per gill net at Spoon Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–32 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Spoon 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: 2025-08-02 (Targeted Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-02 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 6.00 | 0.54 lb | |
| White Sucker | 2.78 | 9–22 in 2015-09-14 | 1.96 lb |
| Northern Pike | 1.39 | 15–32 in 2015-09-14 | 3.74 lb |
| Rock Bass | 0.33 | 0.2 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 0.33 | 0.15 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.
White Sucker
Northern Pike
From the 2025-08-02 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Spoon Lake on August 2nd, 2025. This was done to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Whitefish, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake. Lake…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Spoon Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — SpoonFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
85 ft
Surface area
256 acres
Shoreline
7.5 mi
Littoral zone
34%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
17 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,427 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Spoon Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Spoon Lake
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Follow Spoon Lake’s readings
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Fishing Spoon Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Spoon Lake
Where is Spoon Lake?
- Spoon Lake is a lake in Lake County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Spoon Lake?
- Spoon Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 85 ft. Surface area: 255.85 acres.
Is Spoon Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Spoon Lake?
- Spoon Lake has a maximum depth of 85 feet. The lake covers 255.85 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Spoon Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 14, 2015 caught 2.33 northern pike per gill net at Spoon Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–32 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Spoon 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.
Can I fish at Spoon Lake?
- Public access to Spoon 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.
Explore Spoon Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
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Fish species and best lakes in Lake County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
22 measurements from 7 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA22 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (7)
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