Stalker Lake vs Unnamed Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Unnamed Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Stalker Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Stalker Lake and Unnamed 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. Unnamed Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Stalker Lake (C). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Unnamed 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?
Stalker Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Unnamed Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Stalker Lake | Unnamed Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 6.6 ft | 15.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 22 µg/L | 9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 95 ft | 95 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.4K acres | 1.4K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Unnamed Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Stalker Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 15.1 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Unnamed Lake also leads with 1 species.