Hatch Lake

Hatch Lake sits at the top of the Minnesota PCA grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Minnesota.

A TSI value of 37 puts Hatch Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. Hatch Lake is unusually deep for Minnesota at 88 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. Hatch Lake covers 226 acres alongside 4.4 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Hatch Lake ranks 15 of 141 in Itasca County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

Hatch Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 15 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. No formal public access is documented at Hatch Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.