North Long Lake vs Smith Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
North Long Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Smith Lake (B, Good). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
North Long Lake and Smith 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 grades are close: North Long Lake (A) and Smith Lake (B) 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.
North Long Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down.
Smith Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | North Long Lake | Smith Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 15.1 ft | 12.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 97 ft | 54 ft |
| Surface Area | 6.2K acres | 490.77 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 18 | 13 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
North Long Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Smith Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 15.1 ft vs 12.1 ft. For fishing diversity, North Long Lake also leads with 18 species.