Inch Lake
Bayfield County, Wisconsin31 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Inch Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 40 ft max depth
- Limited data
Inch Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.1 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 31 acres.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Inch Lake. DNR survey details →
Inch Lake is a 31-acre lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 40 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 2 documented fish species including Panfish and Largemouth Bass.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2022-07-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Inch Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.1 ft of visibility
- Deep water40 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Inch Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Inch Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Inch Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Inch Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Inch Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Inch Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
WI DNR Lake Profile
Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2022).
Fish Species (DNR-rated)
Lake Details
Max depth
40 ft
Surface area
31 acres
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Stays near Inch Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Inch Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr7 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Inch Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Murrays (completed 1941), built primarily for recreation on the EAST FORK WHITE; gravity-type dam, 13 ft tall and 34 ft long.
- Surface area
- 650 ac
- Normal storage
- 19,960 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 22,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 13 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Bayfield County
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WI00103 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.81 km)
Nearby Lakes in Bayfield County
Frequently asked questions about Inch Lake
Where is Inch Lake?
- Inch Lake is a lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Inch Lake?
- Inch Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.1 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 31 acres.
Is Inch Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Inch Lake?
- Inch Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet. The lake covers 31 acres.
What fish are in Inch Lake?
- Fish species found in Inch Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass. Inch Lake is located in Bayfield County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Inch Lake?
- Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Inch Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Inch Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX1 sample · 2022
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes