Thirteen Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota80 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Thirteen Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 17 ft max depth
- Limited data
Thirteen Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 17 ft. Surface area: 80 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 31, 1987 caught 7.67 northern pike per gill net at Thirteen Lake. DNR survey details →
Thirteen Lake is a 80-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 17 feet. Overall water quality is improving 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 2025-08-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Thirteen Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14 ft of visibility
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 28
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Thirteen 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 Thirteen Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Thirteen 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 14 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14ft | 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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Thirteen Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 31, 1987 caught 7.67 northern pike per gill net at Thirteen Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Thirteen Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1987-08-31 (Standard Survey).
1 survey on file · most recent 1987-08-31 (Standard Survey)
39 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Pike | 3.96 | 3.72 lb | |
| Bluegill | 1.46 | 0.27 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 1.33 | 0.15 lb | |
| White Sucker | 1.00 | 3 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 0.29 | 0.1 lb | |
| Smallmouth Bass | 0.29 | 1.4 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.
From the 1987-08-31 survey
NORTHERN PIKE NUMBERS ARE HIGH AT 7.7/GILLNET. LOW NUMBERS OF BLUEGILL AND PUMPKINSEED.
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Thirteen Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — ThirteenFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
17 ft
Surface area
80 acres
Shoreline
1.4 mi
Littoral zone
91%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Stays near Thirteen Lake
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Fishing Thirteen Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 28
Earliest Apr 19, 2002 · Latest May 7, 2022
Most recent ice-out
May 7
2022
4 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Thirteen Lake
Where is Thirteen Lake?
- Thirteen 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 Thirteen Lake?
- Thirteen Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 17 ft. Surface area: 80 acres.
Is Thirteen Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Thirteen Lake?
- Thirteen Lake has a maximum depth of 17 feet. The lake covers 80 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Thirteen Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 31, 1987 caught 7.67 northern pike per gill net at Thirteen Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Thirteen Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Thirteen Lake thaw?
- Thirteen Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 28.
Can I fish at Thirteen Lake?
- Public access to Thirteen 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
38 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
MNPCA38 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
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate