Long Lake vs Stalker Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Stalker Lake. Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Long Lake and Stalker 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 Stalker 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 12.1 ft.
Stalker Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Long Lake | Stalker Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 12.1 ft Better | 6.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 19.5 µg/L Better | 22 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 5.3 µg/L Better | 7.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 88 ft | 95 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 395 acres | 1,357 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 17 Better |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
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.
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Verdict
Long Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Stalker Lake. Water clarity: 12.1 ft vs 6.6 ft. For more fish-species variety, Stalker Lake edges ahead with 17 documented species.
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Where to stay near Long Lake and Stalker Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.