Kelly Lake
Bayfield County, Wisconsin56 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Kelly Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 17 ft max depth
- Limited data
Kelly Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 17 ft. Surface area: 56 acres.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Kelly Lake. DNR survey details →
Kelly Lake is a 56-acre lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 17 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including Panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-08-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Kelly Lake covers about 56 acres in Bayfield County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Kelly Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Kelly Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing3 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Kelly 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 Kelly Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Kelly 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 14.5 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.5ft | 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 Kelly Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Kelly Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Kelly Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 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. Monitored by volunteers since 1998. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2025).
Fish Species (DNR-rated)
Lake Details
Max depth
17 ft
Surface area
56 acres
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,171 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Kelly Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Kelly Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Kelly Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Kelly Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Nearby Lakes in Bayfield County
Frequently asked questions about Kelly Lake
Where is Kelly Lake?
- Kelly 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 Kelly Lake?
- Kelly Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 17 ft. Surface area: 56 acres.
Is Kelly Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Kelly Lake?
- Kelly Lake has a maximum depth of 17 feet. The lake covers 56 acres.
What fish are in Kelly Lake?
- Fish species found in Kelly Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Walleye. Kelly Lake is located in Bayfield County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Kelly Lake?
- Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Kelly Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Kelly Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 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
28 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX28 samples · 2020–2025
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes