Pickerel Lake vs Roberts Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pickerel Lake and Roberts Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Forest County, Wisconsin.
Pickerel Lake and Roberts 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, Pickerel Lake versus Roberts 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.
Pickerel Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft.
Roberts Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pickerel Lake | Roberts Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 10 ft | 11.7 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 20.4 µg/L | 11.1 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 19 ft | 31 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,272 acres | 435 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 4 | 6 Better |
| 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 Pickerel Lake or Roberts Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Pickerel Lake: 10 ft, Roberts Lake: 11.7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Pickerel Lake has fewer fish species than Roberts Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.