Earliest ice-out
March 17
2025
Per the 2026 PLIA newsletter
Historical Data · 1980 – 2025
46 seasons of ice, recorded by hand.
Since 1980, members of the association have logged the date the ice left Pickerel each spring and the date it re-formed each fall. It is one of the longest continuously-kept citizen-science ice phenology records in Otter Tail County — kept not by a university, but by neighbors.
Four dates from the record
Latest ice-out
May 11
2013
Per the 2026 PLIA newsletter
Earliest ice-in
November 3
2014
Per the 2026 PLIA newsletter
Latest ice-in
December 30
2023
Per the 2026 PLIA newsletter
46 seasons documented · 1980 – 2025 · Source: PLIA annual newsletters · The full year-by-year table renders once the board has reviewed the transcription.
The full chart
An interactive chart arrives when the paper record is verified.
Every ice-out and ice-in date from 1980 to 2025 is being transcribed from the PLIA newsletter archive so each value can be cross-referenced against the newsletter of record before publication. When the board signs off on the transcription, this page will render the full 46-season record as an interactive chart, with downloadable CSV for researchers.
Publishing unverified numbers on a lake record that matters would do the opposite of the work we’re here to do. So we wait until it’s right.
Water Clarity & Quality
Ten years of how clear — and how healthy — the water has been.
Each summer, RMB Environmental Laboratories tests Pickerel for water clarity, phosphorus, and algae. These trends come straight from that record. Clearer water and lower nutrients mean a healthier lake.
Water clarity — Secchi depth
ftHow deep a Secchi disk stays visible. Higher is clearer water.
Total phosphorus
µg/LThe nutrient that drives algae growth. Lower is healthier.
Chlorophyll-a
µg/LA proxy for algae abundance. Lower means less algae.
Full interactive history and the official report are on the RMB Labs lake-data page (select County “Otter Tail,” then Lake “Pickerel”).
The numbers
Secchi-disk reading table
| Date sampled | Secchi depth (ft) | Total phosphorus (µg/L) | Chlorophyll-a (µg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2026 | 10.5 | 14.33 | 8.01 |
| Sep 21, 2025 | 15 | 7.37 | 3.33 |
| Aug 17, 2025 | 12 | 13.28 | 3.11 |
| Jul 20, 2025 | 14 | 9.65 | 3.47 |
| Jun 15, 2025 | 9 | 12.96 | 4.74 |
| Sep 15, 2024 | 20 | 8.14 | 3.11 |
| Aug 19, 2024 | 18 | 8.48 | 2.22 |
| Jul 21, 2024 | 15 | 11.86 | 2.13 |
| Jun 16, 2024 | 12 | 17.05 | 3.67 |
| May 20, 2024 | 9 | 16.09 | 9.34 |
| Sep 17, 2023 | 14 | 11.12 | 2.22 |
| Aug 21, 2023 | 13 | 6.43 | 3.56 |
| Jul 17, 2023 | 19 | 11.93 | 3.2 |
| Jun 26, 2023 | 17 | 9.29 | 2.07 |
| May 21, 2023 | 11 | 13.62 | 3.85 |
| Sep 18, 2022 | 15 | 10.91 | 3.73 |
| Aug 14, 2022 | 7 | 13.21 | 4.33 |
| Jul 17, 2022 | 10 | 11.98 | 2.67 |
| Jun 20, 2022 | 14 | 17.15 | 3.56 |
| May 24, 2022 | 8 | 21.82 | 12.01 |
| Sep 22, 2021 | 12 | 11 | 7 |
| Aug 15, 2021 | 14 | 10 | 3 |
| Jul 19, 2021 | 18 | 9 | 3 |
| Jun 19, 2021 | 12 | 12 | 5 |
| May 16, 2021 | 7 | 21 | 4 |
| Sep 21, 2020 | 13 | 13 | 8.01 |
| Aug 16, 2020 | 13 | 9 | 3.12 |
| Jul 20, 2020 | 14 | 8 | 3.12 |
| Jun 28, 2020 | 6 | 12 | 1.34 |
| Jun 1, 2020 | 4.5 | 15 | 15.1 |
| Sep 15, 2019 | 9 | 16 | 5.34 |
| Aug 19, 2019 | 10 | 16 | 3.12 |
| Jun 17, 2019 | 5 | 20 | 6.23 |
| May 20, 2019 | 4 | 25 | 12 |
| Sep 18, 2018 | 13 | 10 | 3.26 |
| Aug 20, 2018 | 10.5 | 11 | 1.34 |
| Jul 16, 2018 | 9.5 | 26 | 4 |
| Jun 18, 2018 | 11 | 20 | 20.9 |
| May 19, 2018 | 5.5 | 22 | 18.2 |
| Aug 20, 2017 | 15.5 | 22 | 5.34 |
| Jul 17, 2017 | 14.5 | 9 | 0.89 |
| Jun 19, 2017 | 18.5 | 10 | 3.56 |
| Sep 18, 2016 | 13.5 | 14 | 3.56 |
| Jul 17, 2016 | 15 | 12 | 1.34 |
| Jun 19, 2016 | 10 | 12 | 5.34 |
| May 16, 2016 | 7.5 | 29 | 7.56 |
| Sep 20, 2015 | 12.5 | 5 | 4 |
| Aug 16, 2015 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Jul 19, 2015 | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| Jun 14, 2015 | 11.5 | 15 | 3 |
| May 16, 2015 | 6 | 21 | 11 |
| Sep 14, 2014 | 11.5 | 9 | 4 |
| Aug 17, 2014 | 10.5 | 12 | 3 |
| Jul 20, 2014 | 9.5 | 11 | 5 |
| Jun 15, 2014 | 6.5 | 18 | 9 |
| May 19, 2014 | 9 | 19 | 11 |
Source: RMB Environmental Laboratories · Lake ID 56047500 · 56 readings shown · Full record May 27, 1996 – May 16, 2026.
Fish Stocking & Survey
What the DNR finds and stocks in Pickerel.
The Minnesota DNR surveys Pickerel’s fishery and stocks it on a regular schedule. These are the official state records for the lake (Lake ID 56047500).
Have a historical photograph of a Pickerel ice-out or a dated journal entry we should add?