White Swan Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota165 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for White Swan Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 19 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
White Swan Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 19 ft. Surface area: 165.23 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 14, 2006 caught 1.33 walleye per gill net at White Swan Lake. DNR survey details →
White Swan Lake is a 165-acre lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 19 feet (11-foot average). Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and hybrid sunfish. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
White Swan Lake covers about 170 acres in Itasca County. The median ice-out date is April 13, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around White Swan Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What White Swan Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12 ft of visibility
- Fishing9 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 13
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether White Swan 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 White Swan Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for White Swan 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 12 ft. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12ft | 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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about White Swan Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 14, 2006 caught 1.33 walleye per gill net at White Swan Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows White Swan 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
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2006-08-14 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2006-08-14 (Standard Survey)
20 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 17.56 | 3–7 in 2006-08-14 | 0.16 lb |
| Black Crappie | 5.74 | 4–9 in 2006-08-14 | 0.28 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 5.36 | 5–7 in 2006-08-14 | 0.14 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.06 | 15–38 in 2006-08-14 | 2.61 lb |
| Rock Bass | 2.37 | 6–9 in 2006-08-14 | 0.31 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 1.26 | 5–17 in 2006-08-14 | 1.06 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
Black Crappie
Yellow Perch
Northern Pike
From the 2006-08-14 survey
White Swan Lake is 158-acre bass/panfish lake located 14 miles southeast of Bigfork, MN in northern Itasca County. The lake has a moderate amount of development but no designated public access. The walleye gill-net catch in 2006 was 1.3/net, above the lake class average but down from the catch of 2.2/net in 1996.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for White Swan Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — White SwanFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — White SwanFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
19 ft
Average depth
10.5 ft
Surface area
165 acres
Shoreline
3.6 mi
Littoral zone
72%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,385 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near White Swan Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near White Swan Lake in Itasca 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 White Swan 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 White Swan Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 13
Earliest Mar 25, 2012 · Latest May 5, 2022
Most recent ice-out
May 5
2022
11 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about White Swan Lake
Where is White Swan Lake?
- White Swan Lake is a lake in Itasca County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of White Swan Lake?
- White Swan Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 19 ft. Surface area: 165.23 acres.
Is White Swan Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is White Swan Lake?
- White Swan Lake has a maximum depth of 19 feet and an average depth of 10.5 feet. The lake covers 165.23 acres.
What fish are in White Swan Lake?
- Fish species found in White Swan Lake include black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, yellow perch. White Swan Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at White Swan Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 14, 2006 caught 1.33 walleye per gill net at White Swan Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows White Swan 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 White Swan Lake thaw?
- White Swan Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 13.
Can I fish at White Swan Lake?
- Public access to White Swan Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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
35 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
MNPCA35 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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate