Bowstring Lake vs Little Cut Foot Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Bowstring Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Little Cut Foot Lake (D, Poor). 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 grades are close: Bowstring Lake (C) and Little Cut Foot Lake (D) 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 8 ft | 6.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 32 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 32 ft | 20 ft |
| Surface Area | 9.5K acres | 619.1 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Bowstring Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Little Cut Foot Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 8 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Bowstring Lake also leads with 1 species.