First Crow Wing Lake vs Fourth Crow Wing Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Fourth Crow Wing Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than First Crow Wing Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
First Crow Wing Lake and Fourth Crow Wing 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. Fourth Crow Wing Lake (A) is materially cleaner than First Crow Wing Lake (C). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Fourth Crow Wing 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?
First Crow Wing Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.
Fourth Crow Wing Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | First Crow Wing Lake | Fourth Crow Wing Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.9 ft | 8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 30 µg/L | 19.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 10.9 µg/L | 2.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 15 ft | 10 ft |
| Surface Area | 522 acres | 434 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 17 | 16 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Fourth Crow Wing Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus First Crow Wing Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 8 ft vs 5.9 ft. For more fish-species variety, First Crow Wing Lake edges ahead with 17 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.