Little Mcdonald Lake vs Sybil Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Little Mcdonald Lake and Sybil Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Little Mcdonald Lake and Sybil 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. These two sit close on the readings, Little Mcdonald Lake versus Sybil 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.
Little Mcdonald Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 26.5 ft down.
Sybil Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Little Mcdonald Lake | Sybil Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 26.5 ft Better | 20 ft |
| Phosphorus | 7 µg/L Better | 9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.8 µg/L Better | 2.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 109 ft Better | 74 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,316 acres | 683 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 16 Better |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
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.
Swap a lake
Compare Little Mcdonald Lake or Sybil Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Little Mcdonald Lake: 26.5 ft, Sybil Lake: 20 ft) and what you want from the lake. Little Mcdonald Lake has fewer fish species than Sybil Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.