Ml-Malone Lake

Ml-Malone Lake carries a solid B grade — strong on most parameters, with measurements that hold up well across the summer season. Secchi readings are the weakest of the scored parameters, suggesting suspended sediment or algal biomass dominates the optical signal.

A TSI near 49 places Ml-Malone Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. 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. Ml-Malone Lake covers 128,250 acres alongside 105.5 miles of shoreline, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Ml-Malone Lake ranks 9 of 11 in Mille Lacs County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Zebra mussel presence at Ml-Malone Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. Ml-Malone Lake's fishery is anchored by muskellunge, with 21 documented species in total — a destination water for muskie anglers. A documented public access point at Ml-Malone Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been logged at Ml-Malone Lake more than two dozen times, putting the median around Apr 25 — a useful baseline for tracking climate trends. Multiple sampling years from Minnesota PCA volunteers and partner agencies back the grade, so the letter should hold steady absent a major watershed shift.