Kabetogama Lake vs Namakan Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Namakan Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Kabetogama Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Kabetogama Lake and Namakan 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 are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Kabetogama Lake (F) versus Namakan Lake (D). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Kabetogama Lake
Very murky, less than 2.6 ft of visibility.
Namakan Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Kabetogama Lake | Namakan Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2.6 ft | 4.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 80 ft | 150 ft |
| Surface Area | 24.0K acres | 24.1K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Namakan Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Kabetogama Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 4.1 ft vs 2.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Namakan Lake also leads with 1 species.