Deadman Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Deadman Lake pulls an A: clarity at 46.4 ft and 10 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. 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.

A TSI value of 29 puts Deadman Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. A maximum depth of 45 ft puts Deadman Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. Deadman Lake is small — 35 acres alongside partial shoreline records — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Within Oconto County's 66 graded lakes, Deadman Lake ranks 46 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

Deadman Lake has no invasive species recorded in Wisconsin state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 2, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.