Johnson Lake

Johnson Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI near 50 places Johnson Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. The lake's 70 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Minnesota — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. The lake is compact at 63 acres, with 2.1 miles of shoreline and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Johnson Lake sits at rank 30 of 40 in Clearwater County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Johnson 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 Johnson Lake, one of 9 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Johnson Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.