Dode Lake

Dode Lake earns a C — middle-of-the-pack water quality, with one or two parameters dragging the average down from a stronger grade. 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.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. A maximum depth of 25 ft puts Dode Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. The lake is compact at 88 acres, with 1.8 miles of shoreline and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Within the 141 graded lakes of Itasca County, Dode Lake sits at rank 108, near the bottom of the county list.

No invasive species are currently listed at Dode Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Dode Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.