Bass Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Bass Lake pulls an A: clarity at 18.9 ft and phosphorus readings still being added put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. 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. Bass Lake reaches 43 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 81 acres, Bass Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Bass Lake ranks 4 of 55 in Bayfield County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

No invasive species are currently listed at Bass Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 3, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. 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.