Eighth Crow Wing Lake vs Lower Bottle Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lower Bottle Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Eighth Crow Wing Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
Eighth Crow Wing Lake and Lower Bottle 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 grades are meaningfully apart: Lower Bottle Lake grades a A while Eighth Crow Wing 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 — Lower Bottle 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?
Eighth Crow Wing Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft.
Lower Bottle Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Eighth Crow Wing Lake | Lower Bottle Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.7 ft | 15 ft |
| Phosphorus | 28 µg/L | 10 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 30 ft | 110 ft |
| Surface Area | 502.97 acres | 641.17 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| 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
Lower Bottle Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Eighth Crow Wing Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 5.7 ft. For fishing diversity, Lower Bottle Lake also leads with 1 species.