Finger Lake

Finger Lake sits at the top of the Wisconsin DNR grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in 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 40 puts Finger Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. A maximum depth of 30 ft puts Finger Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. The lake is compact at 87 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Among the 191 graded lakes in Vilas County, Finger Lake sits at rank 75, above the county median.

Finger Lake has at least one documented invasive species (Chinese Mystery Snail), so boaters and anglers should observe clean-drain-dry steps when leaving the lake. Walleye are documented at Finger Lake, one of 3 fish species on record for the lake. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.