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LakeQuality

Bass Lake vs South Twin Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Bass Lake and South Twin Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Mahnomen County, Minnesota.

Both Bass Lake and South Twin Lake sit in Minnesota. 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: Bass Lake (A) and South Twin Lake (A) 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.

A

Bass Lake

Mahnomen County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 13.1 ft.

A

South Twin Lake

Mahnomen County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 10.2 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricBass LakeSouth Twin Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity13.1 ft10.2 ft
Phosphorus10 µg/L14 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth26 ft29 ft
Surface Area734.97 acres1.1K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species11
Trophic Stateoligotrophicmesotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Bass Lake: 13.1 ft, South Twin Lake: 10.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Bass Lake matches its peer on species count.