Vanduse Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota240 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Vanduse Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 27 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Vanduse Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 239.51 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 10, 2024 caught 12.50 northern pike per gill net at Vanduse Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–35 inches. DNR survey details →
Vanduse Lake is a 240-acre lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 27 feet (8-foot average). Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 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 2025-10-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Vanduse Lake covers about 240 acres in Aitkin County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 20, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Vanduse Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Vanduse Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing12 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 20
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Vanduse 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 Vanduse Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Vanduse 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 11 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11ft | 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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Vanduse Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Vanduse Lake typically sits around 56°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in Oct (about 56°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (56°F) to its warmest (76°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 30 field readings (2022–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Vanduse Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 10, 2024 caught 12.50 northern pike per gill net at Vanduse Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–35 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Vanduse 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
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-06-10 (Standard Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2024-06-10 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 26.45 | 3–9 in 2024-06-10 | 0.27 lb |
| Northern Pike | 8.21 | 10–35 in 2024-06-10 | 1.5 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 6.49 | 5–13 in 2024-06-10 | 0.46 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 5.50 | 1–17 in 2024-06-10 | 1.25 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 5.01 | 5–7 in 2024-06-10 | 0.17 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.04 | 2–8 in 2024-06-10 | 0.16 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
Northern Pike
Yellow Bullhead
Largemouth Bass
From the 2024-06-10 survey
Vanduse Lake is 230 acres (189 Littoral acres) with a maximum depth of 27 feet. Vanduse is located about 2 miles south of Jacobson in northeastern Aitkin County. There is a public access with a gravel ramp on the west side of the lake. A standard survey (12 trap nets and 6 gill nets) was conducted on Vanduse Lake…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Vanduse Lake. 5 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — VanduseFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Vanduse (0088)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Vanduse (2028)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — VanduseFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — VandusePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
27 ft
Average depth
8.2 ft
Surface area
240 acres
Shoreline
5.7 mi
Littoral zone
79%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,257 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Vanduse 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 Vanduse Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Vanduse Lake in Aitkin 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 Vanduse 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 Vanduse Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 20
Earliest Mar 23, 2012 · Latest May 9, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 19
Earliest Nov 5, 2004 · Latest Dec 8, 2016
Most recent ice-out
Apr 12
2025
35 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Aitkin County
Frequently asked questions about Vanduse Lake
Where is Vanduse Lake?
- Vanduse Lake is a lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Vanduse Lake?
- Vanduse Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 239.51 acres.
Is Vanduse Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Vanduse Lake?
- Vanduse Lake typically sits around 56°F at the surface in October, from 30 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Vanduse Lake?
- Vanduse Lake has a maximum depth of 27 feet and an average depth of 8.2 feet. The lake covers 239.51 acres.
What fish are in Vanduse Lake?
- Fish species found in Vanduse Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Vanduse Lake is located in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Vanduse Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 10, 2024 caught 12.50 northern pike per gill net at Vanduse Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–35 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Vanduse 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 Vanduse Lake thaw?
- Vanduse Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 20. Ice typically forms around Nov 19. The open water season is approximately 213 days.
Are there boat ramps on Vanduse Lake?
- Vanduse Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Vanduse Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Vanduse Lake?
- Vanduse 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 Vanduse Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
48 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
MNPCA48 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 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