Pokegama Lake vs Split Hand Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pokegama Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Split Hand Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.
Pokegama Lake and Split Hand 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: Pokegama Lake grades a A while Split Hand 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 — Pokegama 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?
Pokegama Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down.
Split Hand Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pokegama Lake | Split Hand Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 16 ft | 6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 12 µg/L | 21 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 112 ft | 34 ft |
| Surface Area | 6.7K acres | 1.4K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pokegama Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Split Hand Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 16 ft vs 6 ft. For fishing diversity, Pokegama Lake also leads with 1 species.