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LakeQuality

Big Wolf Lake vs Cass Lake Allens Bay

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

Cass Lake Allens Bay has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Big Wolf Lake (B, Good). Both are in Minnesota.

Big Wolf Lake and Cass Lake Allens Bay 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. The grades are close: Big Wolf Lake (B) and Cass Lake Allens Bay (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.

B

Big Wolf Lake

Hubbard County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 11.5 ft.

A

Cass Lake Allens Bay

Beltrami County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 16.6 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.

MetricBig Wolf LakeCass Lake Allens Bay
Overall GradeB (Good)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity11.5 ft16.6 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data4.7 µg/L
Maximum Depth57 ft120 ft
Surface Area1.1K acres16.0K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species11
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

Cass Lake Allens Bay wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Big Wolf Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 16.6 ft vs 11.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Cass Lake Allens Bay also leads with 1 species.