Johnson Lake vs Pike Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pike Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Johnson Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Both Johnson Lake and Pike 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. Pike Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Johnson Lake (F). 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 grade gap is decisive — Pike Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Johnson Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Pike Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Johnson Lake | Pike Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 3 ft | 18 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 18 ft | 60 ft |
| Surface Area | 455.98 acres | 488.26 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pike Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Johnson Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 3 ft. For fishing diversity, Pike Lake also leads with 1 species.