Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend vs Pike Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend reads lower on nutrients and algae than Pike Lake. Both are in Washington County, Wisconsin.
Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend and Pike Lake are both in Wisconsin — 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, Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend versus Pike 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.
Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend
Good clarity, visible to about 11.8 ft.
Pike Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend | Pike Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 11.8 ft Better | 7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 17.5 µg/L Better | 19.3 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.6 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 105 ft Better | 45 ft |
| Surface Area | 937 acres | 461 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 4 | 5 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.
Verdict
Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend reads lower on nutrients and algae than Pike Lake. Water clarity: 11.8 ft vs 7 ft. For more fish-species variety, Pike Lake edges ahead with 5 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.