Gile Flowage Lake vs Turtle Flambeau Flowage Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Turtle Flambeau Flowage Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Gile Flowage Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Iron County, Wisconsin.
Both Gile Flowage Lake and Turtle Flambeau Flowage 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: Gile Flowage Lake (C) and Turtle Flambeau Flowage Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on our A–F scale. 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.
Gile Flowage Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.6 ft.
Turtle Flambeau Flowage Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Gile Flowage Lake | Turtle Flambeau Flowage Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) Better |
| Water Clarity | 4.6 ft | 6 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 30.2 µg/L | 19.4 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 3,317 acres | 13,798 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | 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.
Verdict
Turtle Flambeau Flowage Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Gile Flowage Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 6 ft vs 4.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Turtle Flambeau Flowage Lake also leads with 0 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.