Clitherall Lake vs Stuart Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clitherall Lake and Stuart Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both Clitherall Lake and Stuart 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 close: Clitherall Lake (A) and Stuart Lake (A) 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.
Clitherall Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft.
Stuart Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 17.5 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clitherall Lake | Stuart Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 14.1 ft | 17.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 9 µg/L | 12 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4 µg/L | 3.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 69 ft | 49 ft |
| Surface Area | 2,540 acres | 740 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 14 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
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 (Clitherall Lake: 14.1 ft, Stuart Lake: 17.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Clitherall Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.