Lake Vermilion Area, 196 Lakes | Water Quality & Fishing

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated Aug 2, 2026

196

Lakes

135

With Fish Data

Lake	County	Clarity	Depth	Fish
Big Lake	St. Louis	8.2 ft	22 ft	8
South Sturgeon Lake	St. Louis	2.5 ft	43 ft	10
Colby Lake	St. Louis	3 ft	30 ft	15
Island Lake	St. Louis	14.5 ft	65 ft	8
Silver Lake	St. Louis	19.3 ft	29 ft	10
Pleasant Lake	St. Louis	10 ft	33 ft	11
East Twin Lake	St. Louis	2.8 ft	-	0
Perch Lake	St. Louis	13.5 ft	30 ft	10
Side Lake	St. Louis	11.5 ft	32 ft	15
Pine Lake	St. Louis	7.5 ft	14 ft	8
Cedar Island Lake	St. Louis	3.8 ft	-	0
Sturgeon Lake	St. Louis	13.8 ft	79.8 ft	15
Rose Lake	St. Louis	-	31 ft	0
Burntside Lake	St. Louis	16 ft	126 ft	15
Dodo Lake	St. Louis	12.8 ft	53 ft	7
St. Marys Lake	St. Louis	13.1 ft	44 ft	14
Sabin Lake	St. Louis	2.1 ft	52 ft	10
Bear Island Lake	St. Louis	7 ft	62 ft	13
Nichols Lake	St. Louis	5.1 ft	31 ft	12
Ely Lake	St. Louis	17.1 ft	70 ft	14
Murphy Lake	St. Louis	6.4 ft	24 ft	10
Wynne Lake	St. Louis	7.3 ft	52 ft	10
Cadotte Lake	St. Louis	10.2 ft	18 ft	5
Fenske Lake	St. Louis	11.5 ft	43 ft	8
Whitewater Lake	St. Louis	14 ft	73 ft	15
Bear Head Lake	St. Louis	11 ft	46 ft	9
Ed Shave Lake	St. Louis	11.5 ft	17 ft	6
West Twin Lake	St. Louis	6.2 ft	18 ft	7
Peary Lake	St. Louis	6.7 ft	15 ft	8
Eagles Nest Lake	St. Louis	15.5 ft	49 ft	9
Mukooda Lake	St. Louis	16.6 ft	78 ft	14
Sandy Lake	St. Louis	-	-	0
Brown Lake	St. Louis	8.5 ft	27 ft	2
Little Trout Lake	St. Louis	20.3 ft	95 ft	8
Elliot Lake	St. Louis	6.2 ft	13 ft	11
Ryan Lake	St. Louis	9.2 ft	13 ft	4
Shoepack Lake	St. Louis	4.6 ft	24 ft	3
Cruiser Lake	St. Louis	25.4 ft	91 ft	2
Locator Lake	St. Louis	8.5 ft	52 ft	6
Big Rice Lake	St. Louis	-	5 ft	0
Little Sandy Lake	St. Louis	-	-	0
Birch Lake	St. Louis	3.9 ft	25 ft	10
One Pine Lake	St. Louis	4.5 ft	13 ft	13
East Twin Lake	St. Louis	4.9 ft	22 ft	7
Everett Lake	St. Louis	7 ft	15 ft	8
Blueberry Lake	St. Louis	2 ft	6 ft	8
Lost Lake	St. Louis	5.8 ft	-	0
Carey Lake	St. Louis	4.9 ft	13.5 ft	8
Johnson Lake	St. Louis	3 ft	18 ft	11
Spirit Lake	St. Louis	1.3 ft	-	0
Little Sturgeon Lake	St. Louis	4.8 ft	22 ft	12
Simian Lake	St. Louis	3.9 ft	-	0
Joe Martin Lake	St. Louis	14.5 ft	77 ft	8
Heikkilla Lake	St. Louis	5 ft	7 ft	6
Leora Lake	St. Louis	7 ft	35 ft	8
W Two Rivers Reservoir	St. Louis	6.4 ft	27 ft	0
Meander Lake	St. Louis	13 ft	25 ft	4
Stone Lake	St. Louis	-	-	0
Ash Lake	St. Louis	5.5 ft	25 ft	9
Little Rice Lake	St. Louis	-	-	0
Upper Estuary Lake	St. Louis	1.9 ft	55 ft	33
Winkle Lake	St. Louis	-	-	0
Breda Lake	St. Louis	-	-	0
Strand Lake	St. Louis	3.5 ft	16 ft	12
Blackduck Lake	St. Louis	6.8 ft	30 ft	8
Mashkenode Lake	St. Louis	4.2 ft	14 ft	10
Elbow Lake	St. Louis	3.6 ft	22 ft	8
Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	4.4 ft	80 ft	16
Rainy Lake	St. Louis	8.4 ft	161 ft	17
Little Shoepack Lake	St. Louis	6.2 ft	25 ft	3
Namakan Lake	St. Louis	11.5 ft	150 ft	18
Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	4.9 ft	80 ft	16
Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	4.8 ft	80 ft	16
Sand Point Lake	St. Louis	6.6 ft	184 ft	21
Oslo Lake	St. Louis	9.2 ft	36 ft	2
Jorgens Lake	St. Louis	7.2 ft	21 ft	3
Agnes Lake	St. Louis	5.2 ft	18 ft	4
Agnes Lake	St. Louis	11 ft	30 ft	10
Quarter Line Lake	St. Louis	4.6 ft	22 ft	3
Quill Lake	St. Louis	10.7 ft	46 ft	4
Loiten Lake	St. Louis	11.5 ft	49 ft	3
War Club Lake	St. Louis	7.9 ft	40 ft	8
O'Leary Lake	St. Louis	10.7 ft	52 ft	9
Crane Lake	St. Louis	6.3 ft	80 ft	12
Beast Lake	St. Louis	10.2 ft	66 ft	2
Pelican Lake	St. Louis	7.5 ft	38 ft	11
Pike Lake	St. Louis	18 ft	60 ft	9
Long Lake	St. Louis	12.5 ft	33 ft	8
Unnamed Lake	St. Louis	11.5 ft	-	0
Unnamed Lake	St. Louis	4.8 ft	7 ft	6
Sunshine Lake	St. Louis	20 ft	37 ft	0
East Vermilion Lake	St. Louis	6.5 ft	76 ft	17
Twin Lake	St. Louis	3.6 ft	-	0
Clear Lake	St. Louis	11 ft	24 ft	9
Prairie Lake	St. Louis	5 ft	47 ft	15
Bear Lake	St. Louis	3.3 ft	-	0
Sand Lake	St. Louis	9 ft	15 ft	9
West Vermilion Lake	St. Louis	8 ft	76 ft	17
Shell Lake	St. Louis	9 ft	15 ft	8
Green Lake	St. Louis	9 ft	20 ft	0

Showing 100 of 196 lakes.

Ways to pick a Lake Vermilion Area lake

Cleanest water

Big Lake — 8.2 ft clarity
South Sturgeon Lake — 2.5 ft clarity
Colby Lake — 3 ft clarity
Island Lake — 14.5 ft clarity

Deepest lakes

Documented game fish

Big Lake — 8 species
South Sturgeon Lake — 10 species
Colby Lake — 15 species
Island Lake — 8 species

Cleanest Lakes in Lake Vermilion Area

Big Lake

St. Louis County · 8.2 ft clarity

South Sturgeon Lake

St. Louis County · 2.5 ft clarity

Colby Lake

St. Louis County · 3 ft clarity

Island Lake

St. Louis County · 14.5 ft clarity

Silver Lake

St. Louis County · 19.3 ft clarity

Pleasant Lake

St. Louis County · 10 ft clarity

Plan a trip in Minnesota

The State of Minnesota's Lakes

Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements

Minnesota Fishing Guide

Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota

Lake Fishing Forecast

Species activity outlook by water temperature and season

Minnesota Lake Trips

Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings

Lakes near Minneapolis

Cleanest lakes within 50 miles of Minneapolis

Lakes near St. Paul

Cleanest lakes within 50 miles of St. Paul

Lakes near Duluth

Cleanest lakes within 50 miles of Duluth

Lakes near Rochester

Cleanest lakes within 50 miles of Rochester

Lakes near Brainerd

Cleanest lakes within 50 miles of Brainerd

Lakes near St. Cloud

Cleanest lakes within 50 miles of St. Cloud

Frequently Asked Questions

The Lake Vermilion Area area has 196 lakes with water-quality records from state and federal monitoring. 180 of them have a clarity reading and 135 have documented fish species.

Cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Lake Vermilion Area are on the map below with live availability. A lake with low nutrient and algae readings is the better swim and cabin pick when water quality is part of the trip.

The lakes with the lowest nutrient and algae readings lead the table above. Each lake page shows its own phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity readings beside the EPA condition class; none of it is a same-day swim clearance.

Where to stay near Lake Vermilion Area

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Vermilion Area — then explore the interactive map to find a place to stay close to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near Lake Vermilion Area

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.