Horseshoe Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Horseshoe Lake pulls an A: clarity at 42.7 ft and 13 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI value of 32 puts Horseshoe Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. Horseshoe Lake covers 177 acres alongside partial shoreline records — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Horseshoe Lake ranks 8 of 48 in Washburn County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

Horseshoe Lake carries an invasive watermilfoil record — boat-launch decontamination and shoreline care matter more here than at uninfested lakes. Walleye are documented at Horseshoe Lake, one of 4 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Horseshoe Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.