Portage Lake vs Straight Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Straight Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Portage Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Minnesota.
Portage Lake and Straight 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: Portage Lake (C) and Straight Lake (B) 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.
Portage Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft.
Straight Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Portage Lake | Straight Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 5.7 ft | 8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 28 µg/L | 14 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 422 acres | 450 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Straight Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Portage Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 8 ft vs 5.7 ft. For fishing diversity, Straight Lake also leads with 1 species.