Moose Lake vs Pimushe Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Moose Lake and Pimushe Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Moose Lake and Pimushe 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, Moose Lake versus Pimushe 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.
Moose Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down.
Pimushe Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Moose Lake | Pimushe Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 15.1 ft Better | 8.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 11 µg/L Better | 22 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.2 µg/L Better | 6.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 71 ft Better | 40 ft |
| Surface Area | 601 acres | 1,230 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 | 15 Better |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | 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.
Swap a lake
Compare Moose Lake or Pimushe Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Moose Lake: 15.1 ft, Pimushe Lake: 8.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Moose Lake has fewer fish species than Pimushe Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.