Rathbun Lake vs Red Haw Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Rathbun Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Red Haw Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Rathbun Lake and Red Haw Lake are both in Iowa — 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: Rathbun Lake (D) and Red Haw Lake (F) 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.
Rathbun Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Red Haw Lake
Very murky, less than 3.1 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Rathbun Lake | Red Haw Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 3 ft | 3.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 15.3 µg/L | 30.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 11.0K acres | 93 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Rathbun Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Red Haw Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 3 ft vs 3.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Rathbun Lake also leads with 0 species.