Tamarack Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota235 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Tamarack Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 48 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Tamarack Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 48 ft. Surface area: 234.68 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 28, 2021 caught 3.00 walleye per gill net at Tamarack Lake. DNR survey details →
Tamarack Lake is a 235-acre lake in Carlton County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 48 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Tamarack Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 13
- Deep water48 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Tamarack Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Tamarack 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 Tamarack Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Tamarack 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 Tamarack Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Tamarack Lake typically sits around 76°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 76°F) and coldest in May (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 9 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Tamarack Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 28, 2021 caught 3.00 walleye per gill net at Tamarack Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Tamarack Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-06-28 (Standard Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2021-06-28 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 4.68 | 3–8 in 2021-06-28 | 0.28 lb |
| Black Crappie | 4.54 | 4–10 in 2021-06-28 | 0.3 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.08 | 9–28 in 2021-06-28 | 1.53 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 2.77 | 9–12 in 2021-06-28 | 0.97 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 1.66 | 3–7 in 2021-06-28 | 0.28 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 1.36 | 9–14 in 2021-06-28 | 1.2 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
Black Crappie
Northern Pike
Yellow Bullhead
From the 2021-06-28 survey
A standard survey was conducted on Tamarack Lake during the summer of 2021 to evaluate and update information about fish populations and to evaluate the Walleye stocking program. Walleye is the primary management species for Tamarack Lake. The current management plan for Tamarack directs Walleye fingerling stocking at…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Tamarack Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — TamarackFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Tamarack (0240)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — TamarackFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — TamarackPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
48 ft
Surface area
235 acres
Shoreline
4.7 mi
Littoral zone
75%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
35 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,283 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Tamarack LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Tamarack Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Tamarack Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Tamarack Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 13
Earliest Mar 20, 2012 · Latest May 10, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 22
Earliest Nov 6, 2019 · Latest Dec 8, 2016
Most recent ice-out
Apr 20
2019
28 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Tamarack Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN09-0067-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Carlton County
Frequently asked questions about Tamarack Lake
Where is Tamarack Lake?
- Tamarack Lake is a lake in Carlton County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Tamarack Lake?
- Tamarack Lake in Carlton County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 48 ft. Surface area: 234.68 acres.
Is Tamarack Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Tamarack Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Tamarack Lake?
- Tamarack Lake typically sits around 76°F at the surface in August, from 9 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Tamarack Lake?
- Tamarack Lake has a maximum depth of 48 feet. The lake covers 234.68 acres.
What fish are in Tamarack Lake?
- Fish species found in Tamarack Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Tamarack Lake is located in Carlton County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Tamarack Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 28, 2021 caught 3.00 walleye per gill net at Tamarack Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Tamarack Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Tamarack Lake thaw?
- Tamarack Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 13. Ice typically forms around Nov 22. The open water season is approximately 223 days.
Are there boat ramps on Tamarack Lake?
- Tamarack Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Tamarack Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Tamarack Lake?
- Tamarack 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.
Explore Tamarack Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
28 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA28 samples · 2020–2025
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate