Cass Lake Pike Bay vs Lower Sucker Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Cass Lake Pike Bay and Lower Sucker Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Cass County, Minnesota.
Both Cass Lake Pike Bay and Lower Sucker 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Cass Lake Pike Bay (A) versus Lower Sucker Lake (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Cass Lake Pike Bay
Good clarity, visible to about 13.6 ft.
Lower Sucker Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.3 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cass Lake Pike Bay | Lower Sucker Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 13.6 ft | 8.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10.5 µg/L | 21 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.4 µg/L | 6.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 95 ft | 35 ft |
| Surface Area | 4,756 acres | 592 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 20 | 14 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Cass Lake Pike Bay: 13.6 ft, Lower Sucker Lake: 8.3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Cass Lake Pike Bay supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.