Big Stone Lake vs Clear Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clear Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Big Stone Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Oneida County, Wisconsin.
Both Big Stone Lake and Clear Lake sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are meaningfully apart: Clear Lake grades a A while Big Stone Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Clear 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?
Big Stone Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.2 ft.
Clear Lake
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Stone Lake | Clear Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 4.2 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | 22.5 µg/L | 10.8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 57 ft | 95 ft |
| Surface Area | 607 acres | 873 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Clear Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Big Stone Lake's Grade C. For fishing diversity, Clear Lake also leads with 0 species.