Fish Hook Lake vs Potato Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Fish Hook Lake and Potato Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
Fish Hook Lake and Potato 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Fish Hook Lake (A) versus Potato Lake (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With grades 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.
Fish Hook Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.2 ft.
Potato Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Fish Hook Lake | Potato Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 10.2 ft | 11.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 13 µg/L | 11 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.5 µg/L | 3.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 76 ft | 87 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,643 acres | 2,096 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 15 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Fish Hook Lake: 10.2 ft, Potato Lake: 11.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Fish Hook Lake has fewer fish species than Potato Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.