Bass Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Bass Lake grades a B, with clarity at 13.5 ft and phosphorus readings still being added placing it above the Minnesota median. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI value of 40 puts Bass Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. Bass Lake is unusually deep for Minnesota at 76 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. Bass Lake covers 2,715 acres alongside 24.4 miles of shoreline, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Bass Lake ranks 63 of 141 in Itasca County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Zebra mussel presence at Bass Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 19 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Bass Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been recorded 20 times at Bass Lake, with a median around Apr 23. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.