Lou Yaeger Lake vs Otter Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Otter Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Lou Yaeger Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Lou Yaeger Lake and Otter Lake are both in Illinois — 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 grades are close: Lou Yaeger Lake (F) and Otter Lake (D) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades 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.
Lou Yaeger Lake
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility.
Otter Lake
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lou Yaeger Lake | Otter Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 1.8 ft | 1.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 217 µg/L | 37 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 1.4K acres | 760 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Otter Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Lou Yaeger Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 1.8 ft vs 1.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Otter Lake also leads with 0 species.