Little Trout Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Little Trout Lake pulls an A: clarity at 20.3 ft and 20 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Minnesota. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. Little Trout Lake is unusually deep for Minnesota at 95 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. The lake's 272 acres and 4.6 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Little Trout Lake ranks 37 of 187 in St. Louis County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

No invasive species are currently listed at Little Trout Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 8 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.