Lac Courte Oreilles Lake vs Teal Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Teal Lake. Both are in Sawyer County, Wisconsin.
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake and Teal 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. These two sit close on the readings, Lac Courte Oreilles Lake versus Teal 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.
Teal Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lac Courte Oreilles Lake | Teal Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 12.2 ft Better | 6.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L Better | 16.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.7 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 90 ft Better | 31 ft |
| Surface Area | 5,139 acres | 1,024 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.
Swap a lake
Compare Lac Courte Oreilles Lake or Teal Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Lac Courte Oreilles Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Teal Lake. Water clarity: 12.2 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Lac Courte Oreilles Lake also leads with 6 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.