Big Lake vs Colby Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Colby Lake. Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Big Lake and Colby 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 their nutrient and algae readings, Big Lake versus Colby 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.
Colby Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Lake | Colby Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 8.2 ft Better | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L Better | 22 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.9 µg/L | 3.2 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 22 ft | 30 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,904 acres | 518 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 8 | 15 Better |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
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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Verdict
Big Lake and Colby Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Big Lake: 8.2 ft, Colby Lake: 3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Big Lake has fewer fish species than Colby Lake.
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Where to stay near Big Lake and Colby Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Big Lake and Colby Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.