Ida Lake

Ida Lake carries a solid B grade — strong on most parameters, with measurements that hold up well across the summer season. With clarity and phosphorus scored, the sub-grades cluster within a letter of each other, pointing to stable conditions rather than one specific stressor.

A TSI near 46 places Ida Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. Ida Lake reaches 20 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 632 acres, Ida Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 7.0 miles of shoreline. Ida Lake ranks 39 of 93 in Becker County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Ida Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 14 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. Ice-out has been recorded 7 times at Ida Lake, with a median around Apr 23. 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.