Wolf Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota173 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Wolf Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 31 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Wolf Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 31 ft. Surface area: 173.43 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2012 caught 9.00 northern pike per gill net at Wolf Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–28 inches. DNR survey details →
Wolf Lake is a 173-acre lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 31 feet. The lake supports 7 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 2023-10-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Wolf Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing7 species recorded
- Deep water31 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Wolf 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 Wolf Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Wolf Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft. TSI 59.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.5ft | 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. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Wolf Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2012 caught 9.00 northern pike per gill net at Wolf Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–28 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Wolf 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: 2012-08-06 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2012-08-06 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 36.03 | 4–12 in 2012-08-06 | 0.17 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 11.01 | 4–13 in 2012-08-06 | 0.38 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 8.78 | 1–10 in 2012-08-06 | 0.26 lb |
| Black Crappie | 4.71 | 1–11 in 2012-08-06 | 0.21 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.68 | 10–28 in 2012-08-06 | 3.6 lb |
| Bluegill | 1.52 | 4–5 in 2012-08-06 | 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.
Black Bullhead
Brown Bullhead
Yellow Perch
Black Crappie
From the 2012-08-06 survey
Wolf Lake is located along the Continental Divide between the Mississippi River and Lake Superior watersheds and is entirely within Savanna Portage State Park in eastern Aitkin County. A state park permit is required to access the lake. It is the only lake in the Saint Louis River drainage surveyed by Aitkin area…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Wolf Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WolfFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Wolf (0008)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WolfPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
31 ft
Surface area
173 acres
Shoreline
2.3 mi
Littoral zone
93%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,253 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Wolf 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 Wolf Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Wolf 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 Wolf Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Wolf Lake
Nearby Lakes in Aitkin County
Frequently asked questions about Wolf Lake
Where is Wolf Lake?
- Wolf 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 Wolf Lake?
- Wolf Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 31 ft. Surface area: 173.43 acres.
Is Wolf Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Wolf Lake?
- Wolf Lake has a maximum depth of 31 feet. The lake covers 173.43 acres.
What fish are in Wolf Lake?
- Fish species found in Wolf Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, northern pike, white sucker, yellow perch. Wolf Lake is located in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Wolf Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 6, 2012 caught 9.00 northern pike per gill net at Wolf Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–28 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Wolf Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Wolf Lake?
- Wolf Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Wolf Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Wolf Lake?
- Wolf 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, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA5 samples · 2023
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory