Pike Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric Pike Lake fails the cutoffs — a TSI of 69 and persistent algal pressure put it in the bottom tier. With clarity and phosphorus scored, the sub-grades cluster within a letter of each other, pointing to stable conditions rather than one specific stressor.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. The lake bottoms out at 16 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 38 acres, Pike Lake sits below the Minnesota median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Within the 49 graded lakes of Ramsey County, Pike Lake sits at rank 42, near the bottom of the county list.

Pike Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2022, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 13 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. 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.