Long Lake vs Sybil Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lake and Sybil Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Long 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, Long 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.
Long Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.3 ft.
Sybil Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Long Lake | Sybil Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 12.3 ft | 20 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 20 µg/L | 9 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.4 µg/L | 2.4 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 128 ft Better | 74 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,289 acres | 683 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 16 |
| 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 Sybil Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Long Lake: 12.3 ft, Sybil Lake: 20 ft) and what you want from the lake. Long Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.