Clear Lake vs Dam Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clear Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Dam Lake (B, Good). Both are in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
Clear Lake and Dam 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: Clear Lake (A) and Dam Lake (B) 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.
Clear Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down.
Dam Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clear Lake | Dam Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 16 ft | 12 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 24 ft | 48 ft |
| Surface Area | 573.5 acres | 597.66 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Clear Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Dam Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 16 ft vs 12 ft. For fishing diversity, Clear Lake also leads with 1 species.