Long Lake vs Midge Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lake and Midge Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
Long Lake and Midge 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 readings are close: Long Lake and Midge Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
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.
Long Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.2 ft.
Midge Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Long Lake | Midge Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 11.2 ft | 18 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L Better | 16 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.5 µg/L | 2.5 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 135 ft Better | 24 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,926 acres | 546 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 Better | 11 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | 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 Long Lake or Midge Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Long Lake: 11.2 ft, Midge Lake: 18 ft) and what you want from the lake. Long Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.