Bowstring Lake vs Little Cut Foot Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Bowstring Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Little Cut Foot Lake. Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.
Bowstring Lake and Little Cut Foot 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 Little Cut Foot 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.
Little Cut Foot Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Bowstring Lake | Little Cut Foot Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 8 ft Better | 6.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 38.5 µg/L Better | 42 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 12.5 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 32 ft Better | 20 ft |
| Surface Area | 9,528 acres | 619 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 reads lower on nutrients and algae than Little Cut Foot Lake. Water clarity: 8 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Bowstring Lake also leads with 17 species.
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Where to stay near Bowstring Lake and Little Cut Foot Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.