Bass Lake vs Tulaby Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Bass Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Tulaby Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Mahnomen County, Minnesota.
Bass Lake and Tulaby 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 grades are meaningfully apart: Bass Lake grades a A while Tulaby Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Bass Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Bass Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.1 ft.
Tulaby Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Bass Lake | Tulaby Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 13.1 ft | 7.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | 23 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.9 µg/L | 10.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 26 ft | 43 ft |
| Surface Area | 735 acres | 832 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 13 | 16 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Bass Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Tulaby Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 13.1 ft vs 7.8 ft. For more fish-species variety, Tulaby Lake edges ahead with 16 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.