Kirby Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Kirby Lake pulls an A: clarity at 26.2 ft and 24 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Kirby Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of 19 ft puts Kirby Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. The lake is compact at 98 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Kirby Lake ranks 15 of 38 in Barron County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Kirby Lake has no invasive species recorded in Wisconsin state databases as of 2025, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.