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LakeQuality

Bearskin Lake vs Hungry Jack Lake

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

Bearskin Lake and Hungry Jack Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.

Both Bearskin Lake and Hungry Jack 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: Bearskin Lake (A) and Hungry Jack 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

Bearskin Lake

Cook County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 21.3 ft down.

A

Hungry Jack Lake

Cook County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.

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.

MetricBearskin LakeHungry Jack Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity21.3 ft18 ft
Phosphorus6 µg/L7 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth78 ft71 ft
Surface Area509.22 acres474.28 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species11
Trophic Stateoligotrophicoligotrophic

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 (Bearskin Lake: 21.3 ft, Hungry Jack Lake: 18 ft) and what you want from the lake. Bearskin Lake matches its peer on species count.