Bear Island Lake vs Pike Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pike Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Bear Island Lake (C, Fair). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Bear Island Lake and Pike 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: Pike Lake grades a A while Bear Island 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 — Pike 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?
Bear Island Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.
Pike Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Bear Island Lake | Pike Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 7 ft | 18 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 62 ft | 60 ft |
| Surface Area | 2.4K acres | 488.26 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pike Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Bear Island Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 7 ft. For fishing diversity, Pike Lake also leads with 1 species.