Lake Nebagamon vs Whitefish Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Nebagamon and Whitefish Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of B (Good). Both are in Douglas County, Wisconsin.
Both Lake Nebagamon and Whitefish 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Lake Nebagamon (B) versus Whitefish Lake (B). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Lake Nebagamon
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.
Whitefish Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 25 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Nebagamon | Whitefish Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 7 ft | 25 ft |
| Phosphorus | 17.9 µg/L | 11 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 56 ft | 102 ft |
| Surface Area | 986 acres | 848 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 5 | 5 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Lake Nebagamon: 7 ft, Whitefish Lake: 25 ft) and what you want from the lake. Lake Nebagamon matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.