Clear Lake vs Minocqua Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clear Lake and Minocqua Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. 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 sit close on the readings, Clear Lake versus Minocqua Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Clear Lake
No clarity data.
Minocqua Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clear Lake | Minocqua Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | No data | 14.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10.8 µg/L Better | 13.7 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 95 ft Better | 60 ft |
| Surface Area | 873 acres | 1,339 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 | 6 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
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.
Swap a lake
Compare Clear Lake or Minocqua Lake against a different lake.
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.