Lake Nebagamon vs Whitefish Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Nebagamon and Whitefish Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. 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 differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. These two sit close on the readings, Lake Nebagamon versus Whitefish 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 7 ft | 25 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 17.9 µg/L | 11 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 56 ft | 102 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 986 acres | 848 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 5 | 5 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
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 Lake Nebagamon or Whitefish Lake against a different lake.
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.