Clear Lake vs Gun Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clear Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Gun Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
Both Clear Lake and Gun 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Clear Lake grades a A while Gun Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Clear Lake 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?
Clear Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Gun Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clear Lake | Gun Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 15 ft | 7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 24 ft | 44 ft |
| Surface Area | 573.5 acres | 711.9 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 16 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | 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 Gun Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 7 ft. For more fish-species variety, Gun Lake edges ahead with 16 documented species.