Fiske Lake

Fiske 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.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. Fiske Lake reaches 26 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Fiske Lake covers 254 acres alongside 5.3 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Fiske Lake sits at rank 61 of 97 in Otter Tail County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Fiske Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 11 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Fiske Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 6 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 6. 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.