Pike Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Pike Lake pulls an A: clarity at 17.8 ft and 6 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Minnesota. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

The lake's low TSI puts it in oligotrophic territory — the cleanest of the four trophic classes, but also the most vulnerable to nutrient-driven shifts. The lake bottoms out at 45 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 814 acres, Pike Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 8.6 miles of shoreline. Among the 128 graded lakes in Cook County, Pike Lake ranks 4 — in the top quartile locally.

No invasive species are currently listed at Pike Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 7 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The lake has a partial ice record — 5 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 24. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.