Portage Lake vs Straight Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Straight Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Portage Lake. 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 readings are close: Portage Lake and Straight Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings 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 5.5 ft.
Straight Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Portage Lake | Straight Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 5.5 ft | 8 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 30.5 µg/L | 14.5 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 11.2 µg/L | 9.4 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 17 ft | 63 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 429 acres | 471 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 | 15 Better |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Verdict
Portage Lake and Straight Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Portage Lake: 5.5 ft, Straight Lake: 8 ft) and what you want from the lake. Portage Lake has fewer fish species than Straight Lake.
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Where to stay near Portage Lake and Straight Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.