Winona Lake

On the scoring rubric Winona Lake grades a D: clarity at 2.6 ft and 52 µg/L of phosphorus keep it in the lower bracket for Winona County. The lake's weakest score is on Secchi depth — the water looks more turbid than its phosphorus number alone would predict.

At a TSI of 62, Winona Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. A maximum depth of 38 ft puts Winona Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. Winona Lake covers 308 acres alongside 5.2 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins.

Eurasian watermilfoil has been documented at Winona Lake, requiring shoreline management to keep dense mats from crowding native vegetation. Walleye are documented at Winona Lake, one of 24 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Winona Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The lake has a partial ice record — 5 observed ice-outs, centered near Mar 30. 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.