Lake Thompson

Lake Thompson comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Wisconsin lake of its size and depth. 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 Lake Thompson: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. The lake bottoms out at 30 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. The lake's 401 acres and partial shoreline records put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Within the 140 graded lakes of Oneida County, Lake Thompson sits at rank 108, near the bottom of the county list.

An invasive species record — Chinese Mystery Snail — has been logged at Lake Thompson; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. Walleye are documented at Lake Thompson, one of 6 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Lake Thompson makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.