Lakes / Minnesota / Knife

Knife, Kanabec County, Minnesota

1,259 acres

Surface Area

15 ft

Max Depth

9.1 ft

Average Depth

18.24 mi

Shoreline

1,058 ft

Surface Elevation

Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes

Locator - Minnesota

45.97 degrees N, 93.30 degrees W - Kanabec County. State and county outlines drawn from Census boundary data; the lake marker is placed by its Minnesota DNR coordinates, not by eye. Schematic - not a survey map.

Depth Profile - Knife

Schematic cross-section drawn to one shared depth scale - not a survey or bathymetric map.

How Knife Stacks Up

The largest lake in Kanabec County among those counted.
A shallow lake - typical of most Minnesota lakes, which run under 20 ft at their deepest.
About 50 miles from Brainerd, as the crow flies.
18 fish species on the DNR list for this lake.

Fish Species

WalleyeNorthern PikeLargemouth BassBlack CrappieBluegillPumpkinseedYellow PerchRock BassBlack BullheadBrown BullheadGolden RedhorseGolden ShinerGreater RedhorseHybrid SunfishNorthern Hog SuckerShorthead RedhorseWhite SuckerYellow Bullhead

Species recorded for this lake. Presence only - no abundance ratings.

Facts and Figures

Lake ID (DOW)33002800

CountyKanabec

Average Water Clarity2.4 ft

Coordinates45.9747, -93.3018

Deepest Natural Lakes in Minnesota

#	Lake	County	Surface Area	Max Depth
1	Mahnomen, Alstead & Arco Mine	Crow Wing	272 acres	525 ft
2	Sabin	St. Louis	156 acres	465 ft
3	Gilbert Pit	St. Louis	243 acres	443 ft
4	Portsmouth Mine	Crow Wing	149 acres	395 ft
5	St James Pit	St. Louis	124 acres	381 ft

Largest Lakes in Minnesota

#	Lake	County	Surface Area	Max Depth
1	Lake of the Woods	Lake of the Woods	725,583 acres	210 ft
2	Rainy	St. Louis	210,200 acres	161 ft
3	Mille Lacs	Mille Lacs	128,250 acres	42 ft
4	Red (Upper Red)	Beltrami	119,294 acres	15 ft
5	Leech	Cass	103,444 acres	150 ft

Sources: Minnesota DNR lake data (ID 33002800); USGS. Verified October 30, 2026.