Fleming Lake

Fleming Lake pulls a D on the LakeGrade rubric — phosphorus loading and limited clarity hold it below the Minnesota average. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

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 15 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 319 acres, Fleming Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 3.6 miles of shoreline. Within the 53 graded lakes of Aitkin County, Fleming Lake sits at rank 41, near the bottom of the county list.

Fleming Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2020, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery is bass-led, with 11 documented species across the lake's records. A documented public access point at Fleming Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been recorded 14 times at Fleming Lake, with a median around Apr 17. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.