Pine Lake
Crow Wing County, MinnesotaMesotrophic
Pine Lake earns an A — every scored parameter (clarity and phosphorus) rates among the best monitored waters in Crow Wing County. The two scored sub-grades — clarity and phosphorus — track close together, so neither one is dragging the average down.
The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. The lake bottoms out at 17 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 324 acres, Pine Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 3.7 miles of shoreline. Pine Lake sits at rank 64 of 120 in Crow Wing County, in the lower half of the local distribution.
Zebra mussel presence at Pine Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. Walleye are documented at Pine Lake, one of 14 fish species on record for the lake. Public access is available — the lake is on the Minnesota PCA public-access list. 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.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-14. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.
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Swimming Safety
Excellent for swimming, crystal clear water with minimal algae
Water Quality Grade: A, Excellent
Good clarity, visible to about 11.6 ft. Phosphorus level: 19.5 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 44.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 11.6 ft | B |
| Phosphorus | 19.5 µg/L | A |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 44 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | 16.9 ft |
| Surface Area | 323.58 acres |
| Shoreline Length | 3.7 mi |
| Littoral Zone | 100% |
| Public Access | Yes |
Fish Species
Click a species to see all Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes where it is found.
→ Best fishing times for Pine Lake (14-day solunar calendar)
→ Is it safe to eat fish from Pine Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
→ Pine Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.465 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +0.8 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Location
County Ranking
Ranked #64 of 120 lakes in Crow Wing County
Nearby Lakes in Crow Wing County
More Minnesota Lake Rankings
State Parks Near Pine Lake
Other Grade A Lakes in Minnesota
Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2019-08-19 (Standard Survey).
Top Species by Catch Rate
| Species | Avg CPUE | Avg Weight |
|---|---|---|
| GOS | 14.24 | — |
| CNM | 12.66 | — |
| Yellow Perch | 12.35 | 0.15 lb |
| BCS | 10.79 | — |
| JND | 7.22 | — |
| Bluegill | 5.77 | 0.19 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, averaged across surveys (excludes juvenile shoreline seining). Higher CPUE = more abundant in standardized sampling.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
From the 2019-08-19 survey
Big Pine Lake is a reservoir of the Pine River just south of Crosslake, MN. The rock dam that created Big Pine Lake built in 1970 that has required frequent costly repairs was replaced in the winter of 2020 with an arched-rock-rapids-style dam that allows for fish passage. This was made possible by a $1.2 million…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pine Lake. 3 reports on file.
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — PineFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Pine (0231)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — PinePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Pine Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Big Pine Lake (completed 1970), built primarily for recreation on the Pine River; rockfill-type dam, 9 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 400 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 576 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- County of Crow Wing and Trail and Lake
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN01591 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Pine Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN18-0312-02 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (2.68 km)
Data Sources
Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Most recent sample: 2024-09-14
Monitoring stations: 1