Pelican Lake vs Smith Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Smith Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Pelican Lake (C, Fair). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Both Pelican Lake and Smith 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Smith Lake grades a A while Pelican Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Smith Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Pelican Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft.
Smith Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pelican Lake | Smith Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 7.5 ft | 15 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 2.0K acres | 220 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| 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
Smith Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Pelican Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 7.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Smith Lake also leads with 1 species.