Elkhart Lake

Elkhart Lake earns an A — every scored parameter (clarity and phosphorus) rates among the best monitored waters in Sheboygan County. With clarity and phosphorus scored, the sub-grades cluster within a letter of each other, pointing to stable conditions rather than one specific stressor.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Elkhart Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. At 119 ft of maximum depth, Elkhart Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. At 292 acres, Elkhart Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Elkhart Lake ranks 3 of 6 in Sheboygan County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Elkhart Lake is on the Wisconsin infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 7 documented species — a notable draw for Wisconsin anglers. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.