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LakeQuality

War Club Lake

NR
Not yet rated
7.9 ft clear · Mesotrophic · 80 acres
Limited DataMesotrophic

War Club Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 7.9 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 79.81 acres.

Clarity
7.9 ft
Max depth
40 ft
Area
80 acres
Trend
Stable
Public access
No

Next lake in St. Louis County

BLocator Lake8.5 ft clear · St. Louis CountyView →
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Why War Club Lake has no grade

We grade a lake only when its monitoring record clears the evidence bar: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For War Club Lake, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). Sampling here has recorded water clarity, but not phosphorus and algae (chlorophyll-a).

Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.

Sampling is run by MPCA and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.

War Club Lake is a 80-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 40 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 8 documented fish species including bluegill, cisco species, and largemouth bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-08-21. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

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Swimming Safety

Not rated

Limited data

Not rated for swimming — there is not enough monitoring data to judge this lake

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Ely

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Water quality measurements for War Club Lake

These readings exist but do not meet the evidence bar for an A–F grade — see why.

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft. Trophic State Index: 47.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)7.9 ftNot graded
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)47Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Where to stay near War Club Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near War Club Lake in St. Louis 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 War Club Lake

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth40 ft
Surface Area80 acres
Shoreline Length2.5 mi
Littoral Zone46%
Public AccessNo

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
Elevation
1,142 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Fish Species

Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.

Fishing War Club Lake

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-07-19 (Standard Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Yellow Perch5.33
Largemouth Bass4.411.13 lb
Northern Pike3.621.66 lb
Rock Bass2.500.24 lb
SUN1.33
Tullibee (Cisco)1.170.13 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

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.

Yellow Perch

16 fish · 22 in · 2000-07-27
16802

Largemouth Bass

20 fish · 719 in · 2023-07-19
420trophy 2078910111213141516171819

Northern Pike

24 fish · 1834 in · 2023-07-19
420182022242628303234

Rock Bass

14 fish · 59 in · 2010-07-19
105056789

From the 2023-07-19 survey

War Club Lake is an 80 acre lake with good water clarity and a maximum depth of 40 feet. War Club Lake is located approximately 18 miles ESE of International Falls on the Kabetogama peninsula in Voyageurs National Park. War Club Lake is accessed via a shallow channel from Locator Lake which is accessed via portage…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for War Club Lake. 1 report on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Improving+0.125 m/yr5
Phosphorus Declining+2.72 µg/L/yr3
See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

War Club Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN69-0937-00 · Official waterbody report

Graded lakes near War Club Lake

War Club Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.

Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County

Frequently asked questions about War Club Lake

What is the water quality grade for War Club Lake?

War Club Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 7.9 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 79.81 acres.

Is War Club Lake safe to swim in?

Not rated for swimming — there is not enough monitoring data to judge this lake. War Club Lake is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

How deep is War Club Lake?

War Club Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet. The lake covers 79.81 acres.

What fish are in War Club Lake?

Fish species found in War Club Lake include bluegill, cisco species, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch. War Club Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.

Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • USGS Minnesota Water Science CenterUSGS-MN1 sample · 2023
Monitoring station identifiers (1)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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