Big Portage (E Bay Lake vs Hattie Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Hattie Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Big Portage (E Bay Lake (B, Good). Both are in Cass County, Minnesota.
Both Big Portage (E Bay Lake and Hattie 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: Big Portage (E Bay Lake (B) and Hattie Lake (B) 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.
Big Portage (E Bay Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft.
Hattie Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Portage (E Bay Lake | Hattie Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 7.9 ft | 9.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 20 µg/L | 17 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 23 ft | 30 ft |
| Surface Area | 902.34 acres | 587.82 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Hattie Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Big Portage (E Bay Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 9.8 ft vs 7.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Hattie Lake also leads with 1 species.