Big Stone Lake vs Clear Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clear Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Big Stone Lake. 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 differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Big Stone Lake and Clear 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 4.2 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | 22.5 µg/L | 10.8 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 57 ft | 95 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 607 acres | 873 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 | 6 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
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
Big Stone Lake and Clear Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to what you want from the lake. Big Stone Lake matches its peer on species count.
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Where to stay near Big Stone Lake and Clear Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Big Stone Lake and Clear 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.