Upper Cormorant Lake

Upper Cormorant Lake sits at a C on the grading scale — not impaired, not pristine, with summer measurements that vary year to year. The two scored sub-grades — clarity and phosphorus — track close together, so neither one is dragging the average down.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Upper Cormorant Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. Upper Cormorant Lake reaches 29 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Upper Cormorant Lake covers 974 acres alongside 12.9 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Within Becker County's 93 graded lakes, Upper Cormorant Lake ranks 66 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

Zebra mussel presence at Upper Cormorant Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. Walleye are documented at Upper Cormorant Lake, one of 13 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 — 10 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 26. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.