Andrusia Lake vs Little Big Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Andrusia Lake and Little Big Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Andrusia Lake and Little Big Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The readings are close: Andrusia Lake and Little Big Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Andrusia Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down.
Little Big Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.3 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Andrusia Lake | Little Big Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 15.1 ft Better | 9.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14.5 µg/L | 13.5 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.6 µg/L | 2.8 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 60 ft Better | 35 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,596 acres | 3,598 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 21 Better | 17 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Andrusia Lake or Little Big Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Andrusia Lake: 15.1 ft, Little Big Lake: 9.3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Andrusia Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.