Fishtrap Lake

Fishtrap Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Vilas County. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI value of 40 puts Fishtrap Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. Fishtrap Lake reaches 34 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Fishtrap Lake covers 339 acres alongside partial shoreline records — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Fishtrap Lake ranks 64 of 191 in Vilas County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

An invasive species record — Banded Mystery Snail — has been logged at Fishtrap Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. Walleye are documented at Fishtrap Lake, one of 6 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.