Lac Courte Oreilles Lake vs Sissabagama Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Sissabagama Lake. Both are in Sawyer County, Wisconsin.
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake and Sissabagama 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. The readings are close: Lac Courte Oreilles Lake and Sissabagama 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.
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.2 ft.
Sissabagama Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lac Courte Oreilles Lake | Sissabagama Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 12.2 ft Better | 8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L Better | 18.7 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.7 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 90 ft Better | 48 ft |
| Surface Area | 5,139 acres | 805 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 | 6 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | 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.
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Verdict
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Sissabagama Lake. Water clarity: 12.2 ft vs 8 ft. For fishing diversity, Lac Courte Oreilles Lake also leads with 6 species.
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Where to stay near Lac Courte Oreilles Lake and Sissabagama Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.