Four Lake vs Isabella Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Four Lake and Isabella Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.
Four Lake and Isabella 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 — Four Lake (C) versus Isabella Lake (C). 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.
Four Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Isabella Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Four Lake | Isabella Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 8 ft | 4.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 25 ft | 19 ft |
| Surface Area | 610.88 acres | 1.3K acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 9 | 11 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Four Lake: 8 ft, Isabella Lake: 4.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Four Lake has fewer fish species than Isabella Lake.