Cokato Lake

On the scoring rubric Cokato Lake grades a D: clarity at 6.0 ft and phosphorus readings still being added keep it in the lower bracket for Wright County. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

At a TSI of 51, Cokato Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. The lake's 52 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Minnesota — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. Cokato Lake covers 553 acres alongside 4.7 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Within Wright County's 64 graded lakes, Cokato Lake ranks 37 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

No invasive species are currently listed at Cokato Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Walleye are documented at Cokato Lake, one of 20 fish species on record for the lake. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.