Indian Lake

Indian Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Wisconsin lake of its size and depth. Clarity is the limiting factor — phosphorus is reasonable but suspended particles or algal cells keep water transparency below Wisconsin norms.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Indian Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of just 9 ft means sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the water column whenever wind stirs the bottom — a classic shallow-lake dynamic. At 76 acres, Indian Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Indian Lake sits at rank 35 of 50 in Sawyer County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Indian Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. Walleye are documented at Indian Lake, one of 3 fish species on record for the lake. Multiple sampling years from the Wisconsin DNR Citizen Lake Monitoring Network back the grade, so the letter should hold steady absent a major watershed shift.