Phoebe Lake vs Sawbill Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Phoebe Lake and Sawbill Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.
Phoebe Lake and Sawbill 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. The grades are close: Phoebe Lake (C) and Sawbill Lake (C) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Phoebe Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft.
Sawbill Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Phoebe Lake | Sawbill Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 7.5 ft | 6.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 25 ft | 45 ft |
| Surface Area | 610.01 acres | 833.89 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| 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 C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Phoebe Lake: 7.5 ft, Sawbill Lake: 6.8 ft) and what you want from the lake. Phoebe Lake matches its peer on species count.