Lac Courte Oreilles Lake vs Spider Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Spider Lake. Both are in Sawyer County, Wisconsin.
Both Lac Courte Oreilles Lake and Spider 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. These two sit close on the readings, Lac Courte Oreilles Lake versus Spider 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.
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.2 ft.
Spider Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lac Courte Oreilles Lake | Spider Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 12.2 ft Better | 10.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 14.1 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.7 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 90 ft Better | 64 ft |
| Surface Area | 5,139 acres | 1,194 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 Better | 5 |
| 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.
Swap a lake
Compare Lac Courte Oreilles Lake or Spider Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Spider Lake. Water clarity: 12.2 ft vs 10.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Lac Courte Oreilles Lake also leads with 6 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.