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B

Pleasant Lake

Wright County, MinnesotaMesotrophic

On the LakeGrade scale Pleasant Lake grades a B, with clarity at 11.0 ft and 20 µg/L of phosphorus placing it above the Minnesota median. clarity and phosphorus rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI near 45 places Pleasant Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. At 74 ft of maximum depth, Pleasant Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. Pleasant Lake covers 597 acres alongside 4.2 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Among the 64 graded lakes in Wright County, Pleasant Lake sits at rank 17, above the county median.

Pleasant Lake is on the Minnesota infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 15 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Pleasant Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. 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 2024-09-27. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

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Swimming Safety

Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels

Water Quality Grade: B, Good

Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft. Phosphorus level: 20 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 45.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)11 ftB
Phosphorus20 µg/LB
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)45Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth74 ft
Average Depth16 ft
Surface Area597 acres
Shoreline Length4.2 mi
Littoral Zone44%
Public AccessYes

Fish Species

black bullhead,black crappie,bluegill,brown bullhead,green sunfish,hybrid sunfish,largemouth bass,northern pike,pumpkinseed,rock bass,smallmouth bass,walleye,white sucker,yellow bullhead,yellow perch

Click a species to see all Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes where it is found.

→ Best fishing times for Pleasant Lake (14-day solunar calendar)

→ Is it safe to eat fish from Pleasant Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)

Pleasant 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.

Eurasian watermilfoilstarry stonewortzebra mussel

Water Quality Trend: Improving

Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Improving+0.159 m/yr5
Phosphorus Stable-0.1 µg/L/yr5
See year-by-year chart →

Ice Season

Historical ice data from Minnesota DNR (6 observations).

Typical Ice-Out
Apr 4
Typical Ice-In
Nov 28

Estimated open water season: 238 days

EarliestLatest
Ice-Out2007-04-01 (2007)2008-04-23 (2008)
Ice-In2007-11-27 (2007)2006-12-01 (2006)

Most recent ice-out: 2008-04-23

Location

Loading map…

County Ranking

Ranked #17 of 64 lakes in Wright County

Cleaner Lakes Within 30 Miles

Pleasant Lake holds Grade B. 3 nearby lakes hold higher grades.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in Wright County

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

9 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2019-08-15 (Targeted Survey).

Top Species by Catch Rate

SpeciesAvg CPUEAvg Weight
Bluegill47.770.12 lb
BCS14.69
Bluntnose Minnow13.50
Largemouth Bass11.791.26 lb
Yellow Bass11.480.75 lb
Spottail Shiner11.31

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.

Bluegill

183 fish · 26 in · 2019-08-15
6332023456

Bluntnose Minnow

8 fish · 12 in · 1997-06-30
63012

Largemouth Bass

3 fish · 518 in · 2019-08-15
1056789101112131415161718

Yellow Bass

84 fish · 713 in · 2019-08-15
2412078910111213

From the 2019-08-15 survey

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Pleasant Lake was conducted on August 15th, 2019 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Pleasant Lake. 3 reports on file.

EPA Impairment Status

Pleasant Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN86-0251-00 · Official waterbody report

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

Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate

Most recent sample: 2024-09-27

Monitoring stations: 1