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Pickerel Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Rolling Stone Lake. Both are in Wisconsin.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Both Pickerel Lake and Rolling Stone 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. The readings are close: Pickerel Lake and Rolling Stone Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.

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

Forest County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft.

Rolling Stone Lake

Langlade County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricPickerel LakeRolling Stone Lake
Water Clarity10 ft Better5.7 ft
Phosphorus20.4 µg/L Better33.1 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth19 ft Better12 ft
Surface Area1,272 acres682 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species46 Better
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

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.

Verdict

Pickerel Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Rolling Stone Lake. Water clarity: 10 ft vs 5.7 ft. For more fish-species variety, Rolling Stone Lake edges ahead with 6 documented species.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.