Cass Lake Pike Bay vs Drewery Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Cass Lake Pike Bay has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Drewery Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Minnesota.
Both Cass Lake Pike Bay and Drewery 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. Cass Lake Pike Bay (A) is materially cleaner than Drewery Lake (C). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Cass Lake Pike Bay is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Cass Lake Pike Bay
Good clarity, visible to about 13.6 ft.
Drewery Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cass Lake Pike Bay | Drewery Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 13.6 ft | 3.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10.5 µg/L | 11.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.4 µg/L | 2.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 95 ft | 120 ft |
| Surface Area | 4,756 acres | 15,958 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 20 | 21 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Cass Lake Pike Bay wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Drewery Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 13.6 ft vs 3.5 ft. For more fish-species variety, Drewery Lake edges ahead with 21 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.