Potato Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Potato Lake at a C: clarity at 7.0 ft, phosphorus readings still being added, and a TSI of 49 signal an intermediate trophic state. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. Potato Lake is unusually deep for Minnesota at 76 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. Potato Lake covers 1,643 acres alongside 9.1 miles of shoreline, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Within the 78 graded lakes of Hubbard County, Potato Lake sits at rank 75, near the bottom of the county list.

Potato 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 alongside the lake's other 14 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Potato Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 23 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 25. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.