Chain Lake vs Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Chain Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Chippewa County, Wisconsin.
Both Chain Lake and Long 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: Long Lake grades a A while Chain Lake grades a D. 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 — Long 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?
Chain Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft.
Long Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Chain Lake | Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.5 ft | 12.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 12.4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 74 ft | 101 ft |
| Surface Area | 454 acres | 936 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 6 | 6 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Long Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Chain Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 12.7 ft vs 5.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Long Lake also leads with 6 species.