Dixon Lake

Dixon Lake sits at a C on the grading scale — not impaired, not pristine, with summer measurements that vary year to year. The two scored sub-grades — clarity and phosphorus — track close together, so neither one is dragging the average down.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. The lake bottoms out at 29 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. The lake's 622 acres and 9.1 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Within the 141 graded lakes of Itasca County, Dixon Lake sits at rank 125, near the bottom of the county list.

No invasive species are currently listed at Dixon Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 15 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Dixon Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.