Sawbill Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Sawbill Lake at a C: clarity at 6.8 ft, phosphorus readings still being added, and a TSI of 50 signal an intermediate trophic state. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Sawbill Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. The lake bottoms out at 45 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Sawbill Lake covers 834 acres alongside 26.3 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Sawbill Lake sits at rank 90 of 128 in Cook County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Sawbill Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Walleye are documented at Sawbill Lake, one of 8 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Sawbill Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 11 observed ice-outs, centered near May 7. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.