Jessie Lake vs Little Big Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Jessie Lake and Little Big Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Jessie Lake and Little Big 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. These two sit close on the readings, Jessie Lake versus Little Big Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Jessie Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.6 ft.
Little Big Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.3 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Jessie Lake | Little Big Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 4.6 ft | 9.3 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 23.5 µg/L | 13.5 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.6 µg/L | 2.8 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 35 ft | 35 ft |
| Surface Area | 3,598 acres | 3,598 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 17 | 17 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | 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 Jessie Lake or Little Big Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Jessie Lake: 4.6 ft, Little Big Lake: 9.3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Jessie Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.