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LakeQuality

Dead Lake vs Pelican Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Pelican Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Dead Lake (B, Good). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.

B

Dead Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft.

A

Pelican Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 16.1 ft down.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricDead LakePelican Lake
Overall GradeB (Good)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity9.5 ft16.1 ft
Phosphorus20 µg/L15 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth65 ft55 ft
Surface Area7.5K acres4.0K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1820
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Pelican Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Dead Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 16.1 ft vs 9.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Pelican Lake also leads with 20 species.