Wolf Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota179 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Wolf Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 10 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Wolf Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 10 ft. Surface area: 178.71 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 2016 caught 3.50 walleye per gill net at Wolf Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–23 inches. DNR survey details →
Wolf Lake is a 179-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 10 feet. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including bluegill, hybrid sunfish, and northern pike. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-06-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Wolf Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing7 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Wolf Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. 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 6.6 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.3 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.3µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Wolf Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 2016 caught 3.50 walleye per gill net at Wolf Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–23 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
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2016-07-18 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2016-07-18 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 12.08 | 5–12 in 2016-07-18 | 0.34 lb |
| Bluegill | 9.00 | 3–10 in 2016-07-18 | 0.31 lb |
| Walleye | 8.09 | 7–23 in 2016-07-18 | 1.42 lb |
| Northern Pike | 5.08 | 10–37 in 2016-07-18 | 3.01 lb |
| White Sucker | 3.08 | 12–20 in 2016-07-18 | 3.51 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 0.83 | 10–18 in 2016-07-18 | 1.72 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.
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Walleye
Northern Pike
From the 2016-07-18 survey
Wolf Lake is a 179 acre lake located 11 miles northwest of Tower. The public access is via a 3/4 mile long portage from Wolf Bay on Lake Vermilion to the northwest corner of Wolf Lake. The entire portage is on US Forest Service owned property and open to public use. Wolf Lake is surrounded by public land with one…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Wolf Lake. 1 report 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
Lake Details
Max depth
10 ft
Surface area
179 acres
Shoreline
3.7 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,398 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
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Stays near Wolf Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Wolf Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Wolf 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 MN69-0582-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Wolf Lake
Where is Wolf Lake?
- Wolf Lake is a lake in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 10 ft. Surface area: 178.71 acres.
Is Wolf Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Wolf Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Wolf Lake?
- Wolf Lake has a maximum depth of 10 feet. The lake covers 178.71 acres.
What fish are in Wolf Lake?
- Fish species found in Wolf Lake include bluegill, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Wolf Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Wolf Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 18, 2016 caught 3.50 walleye per gill net at Wolf Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–23 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.
Can I fish at Wolf Lake?
- Public access to Wolf 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
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA5 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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