Colby Lake vs Pike Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pike Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Colby Lake (C, Fair). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Both Colby Lake and Pike 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: Pike Lake grades a A while Colby 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 — Pike 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?
Colby Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Pike Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Colby Lake | Pike Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 3.5 ft | 18 ft |
| Phosphorus | 22 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 30 ft | 60 ft |
| Surface Area | 517.72 acres | 488.26 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pike Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Colby Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 3.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Pike Lake also leads with 1 species.