Swede Lake vs Whaletail Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Whaletail Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Swede Lake. Both are in Minnesota.
Swede Lake and Whaletail 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: Swede Lake and Whaletail 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.
Swede Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Whaletail Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Swede Lake | Whaletail Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 2 ft | 3.3 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 134 µg/L | 45.8 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 76.9 µg/L | 19.4 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 12 ft | 22 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 433 acres | 510 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 9 | 13 Better |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
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
Whaletail Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Swede Lake. Water clarity: 3.3 ft vs 2 ft. For fishing diversity, Whaletail Lake also leads with 13 species.
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Where to stay near Swede Lake and Whaletail Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Swede Lake and Whaletail Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.