Pelican Lake vs Trowbridge Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pelican Lake and Trowbridge Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Pelican Lake and Trowbridge 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 Trowbridge 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.
Trowbridge Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pelican Lake | Trowbridge Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 16.4 ft Better | 13.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L Better | 16 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3 µg/L Better | 3.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft | 76 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 3,962 acres | 621 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 Trowbridge Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Pelican Lake: 16.4 ft, Trowbridge Lake: 13.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Pelican Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.