Little Bemidji Lake vs Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Little Bemidji Lake (A, Excellent). Both are in Becker County, Minnesota.
Little Bemidji Lake and Long 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. The grades are close: Little Bemidji Lake (A) and Long Lake (A) 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.
Little Bemidji Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.1 ft.
Long Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Little Bemidji Lake | Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 12.1 ft | 20 ft |
| Phosphorus | 11 µg/L | 8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 290 acres | 45 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Long Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Little Bemidji Lake's Grade A. Water clarity: 20 ft vs 12.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Long Lake also leads with 1 species.