Fish Lake

Fish Lake carries a solid B grade — strong on most parameters, with measurements that hold up well across the summer season. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. Fish Lake reaches 49 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Fish Lake covers 238 acres alongside 5.4 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Within Hennepin County's 95 graded waters, Fish Lake sits at rank 7, near the top of the local distribution.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Fish Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 16 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The lake has a long ice-out record — 34 observations on file, with a median ice-out around Apr 5. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.