Where is Catherine Lake?

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

How deep is Catherine Lake?

Catherine Lake has a maximum depth of 14 feet. The lake covers 136 acres.

Catherine Lake

Iron County, Wisconsin136 acresView map Directions

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

Clarity

6.5 ft

Typical for Wisconsin

Secchi · sampled 2023

Max depth

14 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

136 acres

Surface area

Trend

Improving

6 years of samples

14 ft max depth
Limited data

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Catherine Lake in Iron County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 14 ft. Surface area: 136 acres.

Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Catherine Lake. DNR survey details →

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Catherine Lake is a 136-acre lake in Iron County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 14 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2023-08-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Catherine Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Fishing6 species recorded

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Catherine 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.

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Water quality measurements for Catherine Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Catherine Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft. TSI 50.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	6.5ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus		No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential.
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.	50	Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Ask about Catherine Lake

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

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Catherine Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Catherine Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. 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. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2023).

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Musky(Common)Panfish(Common)Largemouth Bass(Common)Northern Pike(Common)Walleye(Common)Smallmouth Bass(Present)

Full WI DNR LakePage →Water quality stations →

Lake Details

Max depth

14 ft

Surface area

136 acres

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Stays near Catherine Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Catherine Lake in Iron 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.

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Fish Species

Musky Panfish Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Northern Pike Walleye

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

Fishing Catherine Lake

Water Quality Trend: Improving

Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).

Water clarity
Improving
6 years
Phosphorus
Improving
-1.3 µg/L/yr4 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Iron County

Twin Lakes—View →Fisher Lake—View →Fisher Lake7 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Cedar Lake7.5 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →North Bass Lake—View →Hawk Lake—View →

Frequently asked questions about Catherine Lake

Where is Catherine Lake?: Catherine Lake is a lake in Iron County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Catherine Lake?: Catherine Lake in Iron County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 14 ft. Surface area: 136 acres.
Is Catherine Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Catherine Lake?: Catherine Lake has a maximum depth of 14 feet. The lake covers 136 acres.
What fish are in Catherine Lake?: Fish species found in Catherine Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Catherine Lake is located in Iron County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Catherine Lake?: Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Catherine Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Catherine Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

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Where this data comes from

5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX5 samples · 2022–2023

Monitoring station identifiers (1)

WIDNR_WQX-10052951

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.