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LakeQuality

Little Cut Foot Lake vs Little Winnibigoshish Lake

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

Little Winnibigoshish Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Little Cut Foot Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.

Little Cut Foot Lake and Little Winnibigoshish 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 Cut Foot Lake (D) and Little Winnibigoshish Lake (C) 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.

D

Little Cut Foot Lake

Itasca County, Minnesota

Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.

C

Little Winnibigoshish Lake

Itasca County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.4 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.

MetricLittle Cut Foot LakeLittle Winnibigoshish Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)C (Fair)
Water Clarity6.6 ft8.4 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data10.5 µg/L
Maximum Depth20 ft28 ft
Surface Area619.1 acres1.0K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species11
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

Little Winnibigoshish Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Little Cut Foot Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 8.4 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Little Winnibigoshish Lake also leads with 1 species.