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Latoka Lake and Lobster Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Both Latoka Lake and Lobster 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. These two sit close on the readings, Latoka Lake versus Lobster 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.

Latoka Lake

Douglas County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 19 ft down.

Lobster Lake

Douglas County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricLatoka LakeLobster Lake
Water Clarity19 ft Better13 ft
Phosphorus11 µg/L Better20.5 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)2.2 µg/L Better3.6 µg/L
Maximum Depth108 ft Better65 ft
Surface Area767 acres1,334 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1618 Better
Trophic Stateoligotrophicmesotrophic

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.

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Latoka Lake: 19 ft, Lobster Lake: 13 ft) and what you want from the lake. Latoka Lake has fewer fish species than Lobster Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.