Lake Assessment Program - Fish Hook Lake, Hubbard County

Document
Description
Fish Hook Lake is located approximately one-half mile north of Park Rapids, Minnesota in Hubbard County. Its surface area is 1,634 acres, maximum depth is approximately 76 feet and average depth is about 26 feet. It has a large watershed area of 129,252 acres and is connected upstream via the Potato River to Potato Lake which is connected in turn to large lakes such as Eagle and Island. Portage Lake, a shallow lake basin drains into Fish Hook along the western shore. The Fish Hook River drains to the south through the City of Park Rapids where it connects with the Straight River. Total phosphorus concentrations measured during the open water season of 1991 averaged 18.4 ug/l (migrograms per liter)+/- 7.13 ug/1. Chlorophyll-a concentrations averaged 3.77 +/- 1.47 ug/1. Secchi disk transparency averaged 10.3 +/- 2.2 feet over the monitoring period. Average TSI using Carlson's Trophic State Index was 44.5 which indicates a mesotrophic condition. In general, considering the large size of the watershed, water quality in Fish Hook Lake is somewhat better than computer models such as MINLEAP and the Reckhow-Simpson model would indicate. This may in part be due to the fact that upstream lakes and wetlands act as nutrient sinks, trapping phosphorus before it can be transported to Fish Hook. It is important, therefore, to protect the existing water quality in the face of continuing development.
Date Issued
1992
Number of Pages
53
Decade
Rights Holder
Minnesota Water Research Digital Library
Rights Management
Public Domain