Waukenabo Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota668 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Waukenabo Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 38 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Waukenabo Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 38 ft. Surface area: 667.7 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 6, 2025 caught 5.64 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Waukenabo Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–17 inches. DNR survey details →
Waukenabo Lake is a 668-acre lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 38 feet. The lake supports 14 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 2020-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Waukenabo Lake covers about 670 acres in Aitkin County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 19, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Waukenabo Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Waukenabo Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing14 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 19
- Deep water38 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Waukenabo Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Waukenabo 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 Waukenabo Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Waukenabo 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 8 ft. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8ft | 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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Waukenabo Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Waukenabo Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 70°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (70°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 30 field readings (2016–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Waukenabo Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 6, 2025 caught 5.64 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Waukenabo Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–17 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Waukenabo Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
15 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-06 (Targeted Survey).
15 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-06 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 67.95 | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 44.03 | 4–17 in 2025-08-04 | 1.21 lb |
| Bluegill | 25.93 | 3–9 in 2025-08-04 | 0.26 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 6.14 | ||
| Black Crappie | 4.44 | 4–11 in 2025-08-04 | 0.32 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
Black Crappie
From the 2025-08-06 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Waukenabo Lake was conducted on August 6, 2025, by Aitkin area fisheries staff. Sampling sites (N=14) were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Waukenabo Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WaukenaboFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Waukenabo (0099)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — WaukenaboFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WaukenaboPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
38 ft
Surface area
668 acres
Shoreline
5 mi
Littoral zone
44%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
12 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,211 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Waukenabo 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 Waukenabo Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Waukenabo 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 Waukenabo Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Waukenabo Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Waukenabo Lake
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 19
Earliest Mar 13, 2024 · Latest May 11, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 23
Earliest Nov 9, 2017 · Latest Nov 29, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Apr 14
2025
31 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Waukenabo Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Waukenabo Lake (completed 1938), built primarily for recreation on the Little Willow River-TR; gravity-type dam, 11 ft tall and 41 ft long.
- Surface area
- 650 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,400 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 7,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 12.1 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00246 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Waukenabo 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN01-0136-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Aitkin County
Frequently asked questions about Waukenabo Lake
Where is Waukenabo Lake?
- Waukenabo 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 Waukenabo Lake?
- Waukenabo Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 38 ft. Surface area: 667.7 acres.
Is Waukenabo Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Waukenabo 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 Waukenabo Lake?
- Waukenabo Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 30 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Waukenabo Lake?
- Waukenabo Lake has a maximum depth of 38 feet. The lake covers 667.7 acres.
What fish are in Waukenabo Lake?
- Fish species found in Waukenabo Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Waukenabo Lake is located in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Waukenabo Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 6, 2025 caught 5.64 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Waukenabo Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 4–17 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Waukenabo Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Waukenabo Lake thaw?
- Waukenabo Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 19. Ice typically forms around Nov 23. The open water season is approximately 218 days.
Are there boat ramps on Waukenabo Lake?
- Waukenabo Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Waukenabo Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Waukenabo Lake?
- Waukenabo 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.
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Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA5 samples · 2020
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