Murphy Lake

How big is Murphy Lake?

How deep is Murphy Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Murphy Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Murphy Lake?

Murphy Lake is a 100 acre soft-water lake in the upper Cloquet River watershed. There is no public access to the lake until such time as a partially completed U.S. Forest Service road is opened for public use. The maximum depth of the lake is 12 feet. There is one inlet and one outlet. The lake is surrounded by forested land with some marsh area at the inlet and along the southwest side. Shoal soils are variable with sand, gravel, muck, and rocky areas. Lake levels are held up by an old log and rock dam, formerly used for logging purposes. Vegetation is scattered along the shoreline with a floating mat in the inlet area. Ten species of fish were found with northern pike and crappie being the only abundant angling species. Two largemouth bass fingerlings were taken during shoreline seining operations along with black bullheads, pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill, rock bass, and yellow perch. Seven of the 25 northern pike taken were four pounds or larger. Crappies were as large as 1.5 pounds but not very numerous. Spawning facilities are "good" for northern pike and appear "fair" for black crappie. Fishing pressure at the present time is light due to the lack of a public access. Snapping turtles are abundant in this area. Six were taken in one trapnet set overnight near the inlet. The outlet dam should be rebuilt in the future to maintain the lake level. The present dam is in poor condition.

What is the average air temp for Murphy Lake?

Are there any state parks near Murphy Lake?