Johnson Lake vs Yellow Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Johnson Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Yellow Lake. Both are in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
Both Johnson Lake and Yellow Lake sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Johnson Lake and Yellow Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
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.
Johnson Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.2 ft.
Yellow Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Johnson Lake | Yellow Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 12.2 ft Better | 6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14.1 µg/L Better | 26.9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 23 ft | 31 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 399 acres | 2,283 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 3 | 8 Better |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
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.
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Verdict
Johnson Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Yellow Lake. Water clarity: 12.2 ft vs 6 ft. For more fish-species variety, Yellow Lake edges ahead with 8 documented species.
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Where to stay near Johnson Lake and Yellow Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.