Pelican Lake

Pelican Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

Trophically, Pelican Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. A maximum depth of 46 ft puts Pelican Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. The lake's 291 acres and 3.2 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Among the 55 graded lakes in Stearns County, Pelican Lake ranks 9 — in the top quartile locally.

No invasive species are currently listed at Pelican Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 14 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Pelican Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a long ice-out record — 53 observations on file, with a median ice-out around Apr 8. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.