Fish Lake

Fish Lake earns a D — measurements through 2021 show persistent nutrient pressure that limits clarity through the summer. 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.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. The lake bottoms out at 18 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 185 acres, Fish Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 6.0 miles of shoreline. Within Pine County's 19 graded lakes, Fish Lake ranks 14 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

Fish Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2021, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Fish Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. No formal public access is documented at Fish Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. 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.