Pelican Lake vs Pickerel Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pelican Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Pickerel Lake (A, Excellent). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both Pelican Lake and Pickerel Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Pelican Lake (A) versus Pickerel Lake (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Pelican Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.1 ft down.
Pickerel Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pelican Lake | Pickerel Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 16.1 ft | 14.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 12 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft | 78 ft |
| Surface Area | 4.0K acres | 848.7 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pelican Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Pickerel Lake's Grade A. Water clarity: 16.1 ft vs 14.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Pelican Lake also leads with 1 species.