Fourth Crow Wing Lake vs Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Fourth Crow Wing Lake and Long Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. 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 differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Fourth Crow Wing Lake and Long Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 8 ft | 11.2 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 19.5 µg/L | 10 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.2 µg/L Better | 4.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 10 ft | 135 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 434 acres | 1,926 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 Better | 14 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Fourth Crow Wing Lake or Long Lake against a different lake.
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.