East Smith Lake

East Smith Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI near 41 places East Smith Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. East Smith Lake reaches 38 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 152 acres, East Smith Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 5.0 miles of shoreline. Among the 141 graded lakes in Itasca County, East Smith Lake sits at rank 64, above the county median.

No invasive species are currently listed at East Smith Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 5, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The lake has a partial ice record — 12 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 20. 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.