What is the difference between South Turtle Lake and Stalker Lake?

South Turtle Lake (Otter Tail County) carries readings with 14.1 ft clarity and 35 ft max depth. Stalker Lake (Otter Tail County) carries readings with 6.6 ft clarity and 95 ft max depth.

Is South Turtle Lake or Stalker Lake better for fishing?

South Turtle Lake has 13 documented fish species. Stalker Lake has 17. The lake with more species and better water clarity (Secchi depth) generally supports more diverse and successful fishing.

South Turtle Lake vs Stalker Lake, Water Quality Comparison

South Turtle Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Stalker Lake. Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated Aug 26, 2026

South Turtle Lake and Stalker 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. These two sit close on the readings, South Turtle Lake versus Stalker Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.

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.

South Turtle Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft.

Stalker Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota

Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.

Stay near South Turtle Lake →Swap a lake

Side-by-Side Metrics

Metric	South Turtle Lake	Stalker Lake
Water Clarity	14.1 ft Better	6.6 ft
Phosphorus	20 µg/L Better	22 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)	3.7 µg/L Better	7.1 µg/L
Maximum Depth	35 ft	95 ft Better
Surface Area	837 acres	1,357 acres
Public Access	Yes	Yes
Fish Species	13	17 Better
Trophic State	mesotrophic	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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Compare South Turtle Lake or Stalker Lake against a different lake.

North Turtle Lake vs South Turtle Lake Silver Lake vs South Turtle Lake Pelican Lake vs South Turtle Lake Long Lake vs Stalker Lake Pelican Lake vs Stalker Lake

Verdict

South Turtle Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Stalker Lake. Water clarity: 14.1 ft vs 6.6 ft. For more fish-species variety, Stalker Lake edges ahead with 17 documented species.

Full South Turtle Lake report →Full Stalker Lake report →All Otter Tail County lakes →Cleanest lakes in Minnesota →

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.