Broken Bow Lake

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

A TSI near 41 places Broken Bow Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. A maximum depth of 23 ft puts Broken Bow Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. At 133 acres, Broken Bow Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Within the 202 graded lakes of Vilas County, Broken Bow Lake sits at rank 163, near the bottom of the county list.

An invasive species record — Chinese Mystery Snail — has been logged at Broken Bow Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. The fishery is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.