Pelican Lake vs Pickerel Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pelican Lake and Pickerel Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of 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 16.4 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 | 16.4 ft | 14.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 12 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3 µg/L | 3.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft | 78 ft |
| Surface Area | 3,962 acres | 849 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 20 | 16 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Pelican Lake: 16.4 ft, Pickerel Lake: 14.1 ft) and what you want from the lake. Pelican Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.