Howard Lake vs Winsted Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Howard Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Winsted Lake. Both are in Minnesota.
Howard Lake and Winsted 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. The readings are close: Howard Lake and Winsted 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.
Howard Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft.
Winsted Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Howard Lake | Winsted Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 4 ft Better | 3.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 57 µg/L Better | 547 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 21.2 µg/L Better | 52.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 39 ft Better | 12 ft |
| Surface Area | 745 acres | 382 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 Better | 13 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
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.
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Verdict
Howard Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Winsted Lake. Water clarity: 4 ft vs 3.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Howard Lake also leads with 16 species.
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Where to stay near Howard Lake and Winsted Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.