Deer Lake vs East Lost Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Deer Lake and East Lost Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of B (Good). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both Deer Lake and East Lost 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 — Deer Lake (B) versus East Lost 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.
Deer Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.5 ft.
East Lost Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Deer Lake | East Lost Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 11.5 ft | 12.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 21 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 26 ft | 26 ft |
| Surface Area | 447.07 acres | 447.07 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Deer Lake: 11.5 ft, East Lost Lake: 12.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Deer Lake matches its peer on species count.