Hunter Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Hunter Lake pulls an A: clarity at 31.0 ft and 11 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Minnesota. With clarity and phosphorus scored, the sub-grades cluster within a letter of each other, pointing to stable conditions rather than one specific stressor.

Trophically, Hunter Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. Hunter Lake reaches 48 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 182 acres, Hunter Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 2.6 miles of shoreline. Among the 132 graded lakes in Cass County, Hunter Lake ranks 24 — in the top quartile locally.

Hunter Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2023, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Hunter Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. No formal public access is documented at Hunter Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. The lake has a partial ice record — 11 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 22. 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.