Arrowhead Lake vs Yellow Smoke Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Arrowhead Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Yellow Smoke Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Arrowhead Lake and Yellow Smoke Lake sit in Iowa. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are close: Arrowhead Lake (C) and Yellow Smoke Lake (D) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades 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.
Arrowhead Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.6 ft.
Yellow Smoke Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Arrowhead Lake | Yellow Smoke Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 5.6 ft | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7.1 µg/L | 21.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 110 acres | 38.4 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Arrowhead Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Yellow Smoke Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 5.6 ft vs 3 ft. For fishing diversity, Arrowhead Lake also leads with 0 species.