Where is Big Bear Lake?

Big Bear Lake is a lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.

How deep is Big Bear Lake?

Big Bear Lake has a maximum depth of 17 feet. The lake covers 179 acres.

What fish are in Big Bear Lake?

Fish species found in Big Bear Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike. Big Bear Lake is located in Burnett County, Wisconsin.

Big Bear Lake

Burnett County, Wisconsin179 acresView map Directions

Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Bear Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity

10 ft

Typical for Wisconsin

Secchi · sampled 2026

Phosphorus

19.2 µg/L

Typical for Wisconsin

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Max depth

17 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

179 acres

Surface area

Type

Mesotrophic

Trophic class

Trend

Stable

6 years of samples

Mesotrophic
17 ft max depth
Limited data

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Big Bear Lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 17 ft. Surface area: 179 acres.

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Big Bear Lake. DNR survey details →

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Big Bear Lake is a 179-acre mesotrophic lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 17 feet. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including Panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike. Compared to the 29 other monitored lakes in Burnett County, Big Bear Lake ranks #19 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Big Bear Lake covers about 180 acres in Burnett County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Big Bear Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.

What Big Bear Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water10 ft of visibility
Fishing3 species recorded

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited 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 Big Bear 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.

Compare swimming lakes near Hayward →

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Water quality measurements for Big Bear Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Big Bear 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 ft. Phosphorus 19.2 µg/L. TSI 45.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	10ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	19.2µg/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.	45	Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Big Bear Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Big Bear Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Big Bear Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. 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 1995. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2025).

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Panfish(Present)Largemouth Bass(Present)Northern Pike(Present)

Contour map (PDF) →Full WI DNR LakePage →Water quality stations →

Lake Details

Max depth

17 ft

Surface area

179 acres

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

2 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

2.1 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

948 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Big Bear Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Big Bear Lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near Big Bear Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Wisconsin’s top lakes →

Follow Big Bear Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

Panfish Largemouth Bass Northern Pike

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Big Bear Lake

Water Quality Trend: Stable

Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2026).

Water clarity
Stable
3 years
Phosphorus
Stable
-0.34 µg/L/yr5 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Burnett County

Webb Lake—View →Webb Lake8 ft clear—View →Des Moines Lake18.9 ft clear · Oligotrophic—View →Little Bear Lake—View →Fawn Lake10.9 ft clear—View →Long Lake21.5 ft clear · Oligotrophic—View →

Frequently asked questions about Big Bear Lake

Where is Big Bear Lake?: Big Bear Lake is a lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Big Bear Lake?: Big Bear Lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 17 ft. Surface area: 179 acres.
Is Big Bear Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Big Bear Lake?: Big Bear Lake has a maximum depth of 17 feet. The lake covers 179 acres.
What fish are in Big Bear Lake?: Fish species found in Big Bear Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike. Big Bear Lake is located in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Big Bear Lake?: Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Big Bear Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Big Bear Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

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Other Lakes in Wisconsin

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Big Mckenzie Lake

Washburn County · 10 ft

Bass Lake

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Lake Nancy

Washburn County · 14 ft

Matthews Lake

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South Twin Lake

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Mesotrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Lower Mckenzie Lake No Mans Lake Big Mckenzie Lake Lake Nancy

Where this data comes from

9 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX9 samples · 2020–2026

Analytical methods

Phosphorus by Colorimetry

Monitoring station identifiers (1)

WIDNR_WQX-073063

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.