Aldridge Lake

Aldridge Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Vilas County. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake's low TSI puts it in oligotrophic territory — the cleanest of the four trophic classes, but also the most vulnerable to nutrient-driven shifts. At only 12 ft deep, Aldridge Lake is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. At 142 acres, Aldridge Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Among the 202 graded lakes in Vilas County, Aldridge Lake sits at rank 72, above the county median.

Aldridge Lake has at least one documented invasive species (Chinese Mystery Snail), so boaters and anglers should observe clean-drain-dry steps when leaving the lake. Walleye are documented at Aldridge Lake, one of 4 fish species on record for the lake. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.