Pimushe Lake

Pimushe Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. A maximum depth of 40 ft puts Pimushe Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. Pimushe Lake covers 1,230 acres alongside 17.1 miles of shoreline, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Within Beltrami County's 92 graded lakes, Pimushe Lake ranks 64 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Pimushe Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. Walleye are documented at Pimushe Lake, one of 15 fish species on record for the lake. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. The lake has a partial ice record — 14 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 22. Multiple sampling years from Minnesota PCA volunteers and partner agencies back the grade, so the letter should hold steady absent a major watershed shift.