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LakeQuality

Lake Winnibigoshish vs Sugar Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Sugar Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Lake Winnibigoshish (B, Good). Both are in Minnesota.

Both Lake Winnibigoshish and Sugar 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: Lake Winnibigoshish (B) and Sugar Lake (B) 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.

B

Lake Winnibigoshish

Cass County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 12.1 ft.

B

Sugar Lake

Itasca County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricLake WinnibigoshishSugar Lake
Overall GradeB (Good)B (Good)
Water Clarity12.1 ft7 ft
PhosphorusNo data16 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)5.3 µg/L4.9 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area68.0K acres67 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species11
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Sugar Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Lake Winnibigoshish's Grade B. Water clarity: 7 ft vs 12.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Sugar Lake also leads with 1 species.