Big Carr Lake

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

Trophically, Big Carr Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. Big Carr Lake is unusually deep for Wisconsin at 75 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. At 209 acres, Big Carr Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Within Oneida County's 140 graded lakes, Big Carr Lake ranks 77 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

An invasive species record — Chinese Mystery Snail — has been logged at Big Carr Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. Walleye are documented at Big Carr Lake, one of 6 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Big Carr Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. 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.