Winsted Lake

On the scoring rubric Winsted Lake grades a D: clarity at 3.3 ft and 449 µg/L of phosphorus keep it in the lower bracket for McLeod County. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI above 70 puts Winsted Lake in hypereutrophic territory: visible blooms are common, and clarity rarely climbs even in early summer. Winsted Lake is a shallow lake at 12 ft maximum depth, which means it warms quickly, mixes constantly, and amplifies nutrient inputs. At 382 acres, Winsted Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 4.0 miles of shoreline. Within the 5 graded lakes of McLeod County, Winsted Lake sits at rank 4, near the bottom of the county list.

Winsted Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2023, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 13, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. A documented public access point at Winsted Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been recorded 24 times at Winsted Lake, with a median around Apr 6. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.