Island Lake vs Toad Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Island Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Toad Lake. Both are in Becker County, Minnesota.
Both Island Lake and Toad 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. Island Lake reads materially cleaner than Toad Lake on nutrients and algae. A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider gap in the readings is decisive: Island Lake has the lower nutrient and algae numbers. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Island Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Toad Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Island Lake | Toad Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 15 ft Better | 7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 19 µg/L Better | 27 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.2 µg/L Better | 8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 38 ft Better | 29 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,179 acres | 1,715 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 | 15 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
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
Island Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Toad Lake. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 7 ft. For fishing diversity, Island Lake also leads with 15 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.