Wakefield Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota164 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Wakefield Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 69 ft max depth
- Limited data
Wakefield Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 69 ft. Surface area: 163.92 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 14, 2025 caught 0.33 walleye per trap net at Wakefield Lake. DNR survey details →
Wakefield Lake is a 164-acre lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 69 feet (13-foot average). The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and bowfin (dogfish). No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-07-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Wakefield Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Deep water69 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Wakefield Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Wakefield 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 Wakefield Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Wakefield 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 7.6 ft. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.6ft | 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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Wakefield Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 14, 2025 caught 0.33 walleye per trap net at Wakefield Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Wakefield Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-14 (Targeted Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-14 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 9.81 | 15–19 in 2025-07-14 | 1.1 lb |
| Bluegill | 8.74 | 3–9 in 2025-07-14 | 0.23 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 6.27 | 5 in 2025-07-14 | 0.12 lb |
| Black Crappie | 3.38 | 4–10 in 2025-07-14 | 0.3 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.
Largemouth Bass
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
Black Crappie
From the 2025-07-14 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Wakefield Lake was conducted beginning on July 14th, 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 or 15-foot seine,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Wakefield Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WakefieldFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Wakefield (0145)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
69 ft
Average depth
13 ft
Surface area
164 acres
Shoreline
3.4 mi
Littoral zone
49%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,266 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Wakefield Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Wakefield Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Wakefield Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Wakefield 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.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN01-0036-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Aitkin County
Frequently asked questions about Wakefield Lake
Where is Wakefield Lake?
- Wakefield 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 Wakefield Lake?
- Wakefield Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 69 ft. Surface area: 163.92 acres.
Is Wakefield Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Wakefield Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Wakefield Lake?
- Wakefield Lake has a maximum depth of 69 feet and an average depth of 13 feet. The lake covers 163.92 acres.
What fish are in Wakefield Lake?
- Fish species found in Wakefield Lake include black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Wakefield Lake is located in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Wakefield Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 14, 2025 caught 0.33 walleye per trap net at Wakefield Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Wakefield Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Wakefield Lake?
- Public access to Wakefield 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
2 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Department of Agriculture - Pesticide Monitoring
MNDA_PESTICIDE1 sample · 2022 - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA1 sample · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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