Bluewater Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Bluewater Lake is mapped to a depth of 120 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 360 acres in Itasca County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1979.
Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.
- Deepest mapped contour
- 120 ft
- Survey year
- 1979
- Surface area
- 360 acres
- Shoreline
- 4.54 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details14 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–120 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 120 ft
Provenance
Sources: MN DNR Lake Bathymetric Contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
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Map details & sources4 sources
All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.
Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.
- Coordinates
- 47.42037, -93.55259
- MN DNR lake ID
- 31039500
- Vertical exaggeration
- 1.4×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.5 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25Bluewater Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, limited nearby major-road exposure.
Why this score?5 components
Included in the index
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Very Good | 30.6 of 43 | 76% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (69% forest, 3% wetland; 12% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Good | 16.1 of 36 | mean fetch 1,517 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch |
| Motor & speed rules | Not modeled | — | Minnesota’s lake-by-lake motor, speed and no-wake rules are mostly county and city ordinances, not map data, so they are not part of the Minnesota index. Check local signage and ordinances before going out. |
| Public access | Not listed | — | No public access site of this lake’s own in the MN DNR water access and fishing site records. Private, commercial and informal launches are not all in these records, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized. |
| Road isolation | Very Good | 15.5 of 21 | limited nearby major-road exposure · 2 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 360 vehicles/day |
Additional paddling considerations
These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.
- Wake sensitivity
- Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
- Aquatic vegetation
- Low — approximately 1% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
- Observed motorized activity
- Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
- Wildlife habitat potential
- Moderate — 69% forest and 3% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Minnesota lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from DNR surveys & active stocking13 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).
White Sucker
About these fish → the Fish of Minnesota guide
Fishery
surveyed 2007Gamefish Largemouth Bass 70 · Lake Trout 25 · Smallmouth Bass 5 · Northern Pike 1
Panfish Bluegill 77 · Green Sunfish 49 · Rock Bass 49
All survey species13 species
Gamefish
Panfish
Bullhead & catfish
Forage & nongame
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 2017–2017Fish the Minnesota DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
Infested waters listing
Not on the Minnesota DNR’s infested waters list as of September 9, 2026. This does not mean the lake is free of invasive species: the list covers certain species only, and a species can be present before anyone finds it.
What does the infested waters list mean?
The Minnesota DNR lists a lake, river, pond or wetland as infested when it contains an aquatic invasive species that could spread to other waters, or when it is connected to a water where one is present. Activities such as bait harvest and water use are managed differently on infested waters. Check the current list before moving water, bait or equipment.
Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. List of Infested Waters, September 9, 2026. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html
Bluewater Lake — common questions
How deep is Bluewater Lake?
The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Bluewater Lake is 120 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.
How big is Bluewater Lake?
Bluewater Lake covers about 360 acres in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What fish are in Bluewater Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include lake trout, largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill. The page lists all 13 species and the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Bluewater Lake?
No public launch for Bluewater Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- private and commercial launches are not in that source.
