Clear Lake vs Cranberry Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clear Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Cranberry Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Oneida County, Wisconsin.
Clear Lake and Cranberry 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. The grades are close: Clear Lake (B) and Cranberry Lake (C) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades 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.
Clear Lake
No clarity data.
Cranberry Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clear Lake | Cranberry Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | No data | 4.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10.8 µg/L | 30.8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 95 ft | 23 ft |
| Surface Area | 873 acres | 924 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 | 6 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
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 B versus Cranberry Lake's Grade C. For fishing diversity, Clear Lake also leads with 6 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.