Mud Hen Lake vs Wood Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Mud Hen Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Wood Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
Mud Hen Lake and Wood 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 grades are meaningfully apart: Mud Hen Lake grades a A while Wood Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Mud Hen Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Mud Hen Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Wood Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Mud Hen Lake | Wood Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 11 ft | 5.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15.8 µg/L | 22.6 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 66 ft | 35 ft |
| Surface Area | 569 acres | 521 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Mud Hen Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Wood Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 11 ft vs 5.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Mud Hen Lake also leads with 0 species.