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LakeQuality

Big Fish Lake vs Two Rivers Lake

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

Big Fish Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Two Rivers Lake (B, Good). Both are in Stearns County, Minnesota.

Both Big Fish Lake and Two Rivers 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Big Fish Lake (A) versus Two Rivers Lake (B). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.

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

Big Fish Lake

Stearns County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 20.7 ft down.

B

Two Rivers Lake

Stearns County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 11.2 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.

MetricBig Fish LakeTwo Rivers Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)B (Good)
Water Clarity20.7 ft11.2 ft
Phosphorus9 µg/LNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth70 ft63 ft
Surface Area557.31 acres583.47 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species11
Trophic Stateoligotrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

Big Fish Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Two Rivers Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 20.7 ft vs 11.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Big Fish Lake also leads with 1 species.