Pike Lake vs Ramshead Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pike Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Ramshead Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Pike Lake and Ramshead 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 meaningfully apart: Pike Lake grades a A while Ramshead Lake grades a F. 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 — 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 18 ft down.
Ramshead Lake
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pike Lake | Ramshead Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 18 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 60 ft | 10 ft |
| Surface Area | 488.26 acres | 552.93 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 9 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | Unknown |
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 Ramshead Lake's Grade F. For fishing diversity, Pike Lake also leads with 9 species.