Mesaba Lake

Mesaba Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth.

A TSI near 44 places Mesaba Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. At 65 ft of maximum depth, Mesaba Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. At 213 acres, Mesaba Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 6.6 miles of shoreline. Among the 128 graded lakes in Cook County, Mesaba Lake sits at rank 56, above the county median.

Mesaba Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2021, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. 4 fish species are on record, with panfish making up the recreational core. 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.