Ida Lake vs Lobster Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ida Lake and Lobster Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Both Ida Lake and Lobster 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: Ida Lake (A) and Lobster 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.
Ida Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Lobster Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ida Lake | Lobster Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 16.4 ft Better | 13 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L Better | 20.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3 µg/L Better | 3.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 106 ft Better | 65 ft |
| Surface Area | 4,445 acres | 1,334 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 19 Better | 18 |
| 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 Ida Lake or Lobster Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Ida Lake: 16.4 ft, Lobster Lake: 13 ft) and what you want from the lake. Ida Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.