Island Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Island Lake at a C: clarity at 7.0 ft, phosphorus readings still being added, and a TSI of 49 signal an intermediate trophic state.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. The lake bottoms out at 42 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Island Lake covers 527 acres alongside 7.2 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Island Lake sits at rank 10 of 19 in Pine County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Island Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Island Lake's fishery is anchored by muskellunge, with 13 documented species in total — a destination water for muskie anglers. A documented public access point at Island Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been recorded 18 times at Island Lake, with a median around Apr 20. 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.