Fourth Crow Wing Lake vs Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Fourth Crow Wing Lake and Long Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
Both Fourth Crow Wing Lake and Long 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 close: Fourth Crow Wing Lake (A) and Long Lake (A) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Fourth Crow Wing Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Long Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Fourth Crow Wing Lake | Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 8 ft | 11.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 19.5 µg/L | 10 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.2 µg/L | 4.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 10 ft | 135 ft |
| Surface Area | 434 acres | 1,926 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 14 |
| 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 (Fourth Crow Wing Lake: 8 ft, Long Lake: 11.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Fourth Crow Wing Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.