Pelican Lake vs South Turtle Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pelican Lake and South Turtle Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Pelican Lake and South Turtle 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, Pelican Lake versus South Turtle 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.
Pelican Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
South Turtle Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pelican Lake | South Turtle Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 16.4 ft Better | 14.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L Better | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3 µg/L Better | 3.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft Better | 35 ft |
| Surface Area | 3,962 acres | 837 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 20 Better | 13 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | 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 Pelican Lake or South Turtle Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Pelican Lake: 16.4 ft, South Turtle 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.