West Pike Lake
Cook County, Minnesota788 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for West Pike Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 120 ft max depth
- Limited data
West Pike Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 120 ft. Surface area: 788.2 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 18, 2023 caught 1.67 smallmouth bass per gill net at West Pike Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–15 inches. DNR survey details →
West Pike Lake is a 788-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 120 feet. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including burbot, lake trout, and smallmouth bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-08-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What West Pike Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19 ft of visibility
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Deep water120 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. West Pike Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether West Pike 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 West Pike Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for West Pike Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 19 ft down. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 19ft | 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. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about West Pike Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 18, 2023 caught 1.67 smallmouth bass per gill net at West Pike Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–15 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows West Pike Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-12 (Targeted Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-12 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 4.12 | 17–20 in 2023-09-18 | 2.41 lb |
| Lake Trout | 2.24 | 10–26 in 2023-09-18 | 3.75 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 1.37 | 12–15 in 2023-09-18 | 1.61 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 0.54 | 6–8 in 2023-09-18 | 0.11 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.
White Sucker
Lake Trout
Smallmouth Bass
Tullibee (Cisco)
From the 2025-08-12 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in West Pike Lake on August 11th, 2025. This was done to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Trout, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake (Cisco,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for West Pike Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — West PikeFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
120 ft
Surface area
788 acres
Shoreline
10 mi
Littoral zone
28%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
14 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,558 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near West Pike Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near West Pike Lake in Cook 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 West Pike Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing West Pike Lake
EPA Impairment Status
West Pike Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN16-0086-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about West Pike Lake
Where is West Pike Lake?
- West Pike Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of West Pike Lake?
- West Pike Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 120 ft. Surface area: 788.2 acres.
Is West Pike Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. West Pike Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is West Pike Lake?
- West Pike Lake has a maximum depth of 120 feet. The lake covers 788.2 acres.
What fish are in West Pike Lake?
- Fish species found in West Pike Lake include burbot, lake trout, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), white sucker. West Pike Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at West Pike Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 18, 2023 caught 1.67 smallmouth bass per gill net at West Pike Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 12–15 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows West Pike Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at West Pike Lake?
- Public access to West Pike 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.
Explore West Pike Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA1 sample · 2024
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