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.

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. East Smith Lake covers 152 acres alongside 5.0 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Among the 141 graded lakes in Itasca County, East Smith Lake sits at rank 62, above the county median.

No invasive species are currently listed at East Smith Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery is bass-led, with 5 documented species across the lake's records. No formal public access is documented at East Smith Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. 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.