Five Island Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Five Island Lake pulls an A: clarity at 13.0 ft and 11 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Minnesota. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake's low TSI puts it in oligotrophic territory — the cleanest of the four trophic classes, but also the most vulnerable to nutrient-driven shifts. A maximum depth of 33 ft puts Five Island Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. The lake's 214 acres and 4.1 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Among the 141 graded lakes in Itasca County, Five Island Lake sits at rank 43, above the county median.

Five Island Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery is bass-led, with 10 documented species across the lake's records. A documented public access point at Five Island Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.