First 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 First Crow Wing Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
Both First Crow Wing Lake and Lower Bottle 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Lower Bottle Lake grades a A while First 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?
First Crow Wing Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.
Lower Bottle Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | First Crow Wing Lake | Lower Bottle Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.9 ft | 15 ft |
| Phosphorus | 30 µg/L | 10 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 15 ft | 110 ft |
| Surface Area | 522.02 acres | 641.17 acres |
| Public Access | No | 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 First Crow Wing Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 5.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Lower Bottle Lake also leads with 1 species.