Bowstring Lake vs Jessie Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Jessie Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Bowstring Lake. Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.
Bowstring Lake and Jessie 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. The readings are close: Bowstring Lake and Jessie Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
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.
Bowstring Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Jessie Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Bowstring Lake | Jessie Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 8 ft | 8.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 38.5 µg/L | 30 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 12.5 µg/L | 12.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 32 ft | 42 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 9,528 acres | 1,740 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 17 Better | 15 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | 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
Bowstring Lake and Jessie Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Bowstring Lake: 8 ft, Jessie Lake: 8.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Bowstring Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.