East Loon Lake vs Pelican Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
East Loon Lake and Pelican Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both East Loon Lake and Pelican Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. These two sit close on the readings, East Loon Lake versus Pelican Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With readings 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.
East Loon Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft.
Pelican Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | East Loon Lake | Pelican Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 13.5 ft | 16.4 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 13 µg/L Better | 15 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.9 µg/L | 3 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 105 ft Better | 55 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,044 acres | 3,962 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 17 | 20 Better |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare East Loon Lake or Pelican Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (East Loon Lake: 13.5 ft, Pelican Lake: 16.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. East Loon Lake has fewer fish species than Pelican Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.