East Loon Lake vs Sybil Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
East Loon Lake and Sybil Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
East Loon Lake and Sybil Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The readings are close: East Loon Lake and Sybil Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
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.
Sybil Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | East Loon Lake | Sybil Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 13.5 ft | 20 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 13 µg/L | 9 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.9 µg/L | 2.4 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 105 ft Better | 74 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,044 acres | 683 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 17 Better | 16 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
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 Sybil 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, Sybil Lake: 20 ft) and what you want from the lake. East Loon Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.