Bear Lake

Bear Lake earns a C — middle-of-the-pack water quality, with one or two parameters dragging the average down from a stronger grade. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. The lake's surface area is not consistently recorded across state datasets — physical context remains partial. Bear Lake ranks 54 of 55 in Bayfield County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Bear Lake has no invasive species recorded in Wisconsin state databases as of 2025, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Bear Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.