Big Lake vs Big Rice Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Big Rice Lake. Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Big Lake and Big Rice 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. These two sit close on the readings, Big Lake versus Big Rice Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With readings 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.
Big Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.2 ft.
Big Rice Lake
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Lake | Big Rice Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 8.2 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L Better | 24 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.9 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 22 ft Better | 5 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,904 acres | 1,917 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 8 Better | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Compare Big Lake or Big Rice Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Big Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Big Rice Lake. For fishing diversity, Big Lake also leads with 8 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.