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LakeQuality

East Pike Lake

NR
Not yet rated
12.2 ft clear · Mesotrophic · 554 acres
Limited DataMesotrophic

East Pike Lake in Cook County, Minnesota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 12.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 554.06 acres.

Clarity
12.2 ft
Max depth
40 ft
Area
554 acres
Public access
No

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AMcfarland Lake17 ft clear · Cook CountyView →
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Why East Pike Lake has no grade

We grade a lake only when its monitoring record clears the evidence bar: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For East Pike Lake, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). Sampling here has recorded water clarity, but not phosphorus and algae (chlorophyll-a).

Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.

Sampling is run by MPCA and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.

East Pike Lake is a 554-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 40 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-08-21. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

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Swimming Safety

Not rated

Limited data

Not rated for swimming — there is not enough monitoring data to judge this lake

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Water quality measurements for East Pike Lake

These readings exist but do not meet the evidence bar for an A–F grade — see why.

Good clarity, visible to about 12.2 ft. Trophic State Index: 41.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)12.2 ftNot graded
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)41Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Where to stay near East Pike Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near East Pike Lake in Cook County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near East Pike Lake

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Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth40 ft
Surface Area554 acres
Shoreline Length9.4 mi
Littoral Zone22%
Public AccessNo

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
19 sq mi
Elevation
1,532 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Fishing East Pike Lake

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-08 (Targeted Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
LKW15.601.48 lb
Tullibee (Cisco)13.030.12 lb
Smallmouth Bass5.881.17 lb
Yellow Perch2.190.17 lb
Northern Pike2.104.1 lb
White Sucker1.641.9 lb

CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.

Length Distributions

Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.

LKW

115 fish · 920 in · 2002-09-09
2111091011121314151617181920

Tullibee (Cisco)

2 fish · 77 in · 2002-09-09
2107

Smallmouth Bass

58 fish · 519 in · 2002-09-09
1370trophy 18681012141618

Yellow Perch

1 fish · 55 in · 2002-09-09
105

From the 2025-08-08 survey

Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in East Pike Lake on August 8th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Whitefish, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake (Cisco, also…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for East Pike Lake. 1 report on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

EPA Impairment Status

East Pike Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN16-0042-00 · Official waterbody report

Graded lakes near East Pike Lake

East Pike Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.

Nearby Lakes in Cook County

Frequently asked questions about East Pike Lake

What is the water quality grade for East Pike Lake?

East Pike Lake in Cook County, Minnesota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 12.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 554.06 acres.

Is East Pike Lake safe to swim in?

Not rated for swimming — there is not enough monitoring data to judge this lake. East Pike Lake is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

How deep is East Pike Lake?

East Pike Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet. The lake covers 554.06 acres.

Where this data comes from

2 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA2 samples · 2024

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.

Other records on this page

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder