Pike Lake vs Sawbill Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pike Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Sawbill Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.
Both Pike Lake and Sawbill 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. Pike Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Sawbill Lake (C). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Pike 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?
Pike Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 17.4 ft down.
Sawbill Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pike Lake | Sawbill Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 17.4 ft | 6.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 7 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 45 ft | 45 ft |
| Surface Area | 814.43 acres | 833.89 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 7 | 8 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pike Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Sawbill Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 17.4 ft vs 6.6 ft. For more fish-species variety, Sawbill Lake edges ahead with 8 documented species.