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LakeQuality

Fishtrap Lake vs Rest Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Fishtrap Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Rest Lake (B, Good). Both are in Vilas County, Wisconsin.

Both Fishtrap Lake and Rest 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 close: Fishtrap Lake (A) and Rest Lake (B) 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.

A

Fishtrap Lake

Vilas County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 12.2 ft.

B

Rest Lake

Vilas County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricFishtrap LakeRest Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)B (Good)
Water Clarity12.2 ft12.5 ft
Phosphorus10.7 µg/LNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area339 acres4.2K acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateoligotrophicmesotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Fishtrap Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Rest Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 12.2 ft vs 12.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Fishtrap Lake also leads with 0 species.