Little Cut Foot Lake vs Tamarack Bay Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Tamarack Bay Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Little Cut Foot Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Minnesota.
Little Cut Foot Lake and Tamarack Bay 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 Tamarack Bay 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.
Little Cut Foot Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Tamarack Bay Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Little Cut Foot Lake | Tamarack Bay Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 6.6 ft | 11.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 42 µg/L | 26 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | 4.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 20 ft | 69.8 ft |
| Surface Area | 619 acres | 56,471 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 | 20 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Tamarack Bay Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Little Cut Foot Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 11.5 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Tamarack Bay Lake also leads with 20 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.