Clearwater Lake vs East Bearskin Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than East Bearskin Lake (B, Good). Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.
Both Clearwater Lake and East Bearskin 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 — Clearwater Lake (A) versus East Bearskin Lake (B). 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.
Clearwater Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 30 ft down.
East Bearskin Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | East Bearskin Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 30 ft | 14 ft |
| Phosphorus | 4 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 65 ft | 66 ft |
| Surface Area | 461.73 acres | 593.29 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 0 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Clearwater Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus East Bearskin Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 30 ft vs 14 ft. For more fish-species variety, East Bearskin Lake edges ahead with 1 documented species.