Itasca Lake

Itasca Lake sits at a C on the grading scale — not impaired, not pristine, with summer measurements that vary year to year. Clarity is the limiting factor — phosphorus is reasonable but suspended particles or algal cells keep water transparency below Minnesota norms.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. The lake bottoms out at 40 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 1,065 acres, Itasca Lake is one of the larger lakes in Clearwater County, with 14.3 miles of shoreline supporting multiple distinct use patterns. Itasca Lake ranks 37 of 40 in Clearwater County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Itasca Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Itasca Lake's fishery is anchored by muskellunge, with 15 documented species in total — a destination water for muskie anglers. A documented public access point at Itasca Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a long ice-out record — 170 observations on file, with a median ice-out 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.