Island Lake

Island Lake earns a C — middle-of-the-pack water quality, with one or two parameters dragging the average down from a stronger grade. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

At a TSI of 57, Island Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. A maximum depth of 22 ft puts Island Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. At 320 acres, Island Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 5.1 miles of shoreline. Within the 33 graded lakes of Carlton County, Island Lake sits at rank 26, near the bottom of the county list.

Island Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Walleye are documented at Island Lake, one of 14 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Island Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 5 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 17. 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.