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Midge Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Little Wolf Lake. Both are in Minnesota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Both Little Wolf Lake and Midge 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. The readings are meaningfully apart: Midge Lake carries clearly lower phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings than Little Wolf Lake. A spread that wide reflects real underlying differences, in watershed inputs, depth profiles, or monitoring rigor.

For a recreational visitor, the wider gap in the readings is decisive: Midge Lake has the lower nutrient and algae numbers. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?

Little Wolf Lake

Cass County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.

Midge Lake

Hubbard County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricLittle Wolf LakeMidge Lake
Water Clarity7 ft18 ft Better
Phosphorus26.5 µg/L16 µg/L Better
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)12.7 µg/L2.5 µg/L Better
Maximum Depth24 ft24 ft
Surface Area525 acres546 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species13 Better11
Trophic Stateeutrophicoligotrophic

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

Midge Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Little Wolf Lake. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 7 ft. For more fish-species variety, Little Wolf Lake edges ahead with 13 documented species.

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.