Clear Lake vs Minocqua Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clear Lake and Minocqua Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of B (Good). Both are in Oneida County, Wisconsin.
Clear Lake and Minocqua 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 are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Clear Lake (B) versus Minocqua Lake (B). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Minocqua Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clear Lake | Minocqua Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | No data | 14.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10.8 µg/L | 13.7 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 95 ft | 60 ft |
| Surface Area | 873 acres | 1,339 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 | 6 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to what you want from the lake. Clear Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.