Armour Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin328 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Armour Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 56 ft max depth
- Limited data
Armour Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 56 ft. Surface area: 328 acres.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Armour Lake. DNR survey details →
Armour Lake is a 328-acre mesotrophic lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 56 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. Compared to the 102 other monitored lakes in Vilas County, Armour Lake ranks #30 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-10-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Armour Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Deep water56 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Armour Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Armour Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Armour Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft. Phosphorus 12.3 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 12.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Armour Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Armour Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in Oct (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (53°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 10 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Armour Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Armour Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (524,807 cells/mL) on November 8, 2025.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Armour Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Armour Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
WI DNR Lake Profile
Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. Monitored by volunteers since 1998. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2025).
Fish Species (DNR-rated)
Lake Details
Max depth
56 ft
Surface area
328 acres
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,637 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Armour Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Armour Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Armour Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.47 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Vilas County
Frequently asked questions about Armour Lake
Where is Armour Lake?
- Armour Lake is a lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Armour Lake?
- Armour Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 56 ft. Surface area: 328 acres.
Is Armour Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Armour Lake?
- Armour Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October, from 10 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Armour Lake?
- Armour Lake has a maximum depth of 56 feet. The lake covers 328 acres.
What fish are in Armour Lake?
- Fish species found in Armour Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Armour Lake is located in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Armour Lake?
- Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Armour Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Armour Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Does Armour Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Armour Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (524,807 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Wisconsin's current advisory before swimming.
Explore Armour Lake across LakeQuality
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Where to stay at Wisconsin's top lakes, each with its readings
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Where this data comes from
29 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX29 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes