Bughs Lake

Bughs Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Wisconsin lake of its size and depth. 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.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Bughs Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. The lake bottoms out at 18 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 23 acres, Bughs Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Bughs Lake sits at rank 21 of 32 in Waushara County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Eurasian watermilfoil is established at Bughs Lake, which can dampen recreational access and pressure the native plant community. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 4, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. A documented public access point at Bughs 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.