Where is Leader Lake?

Leader Lake is a lake in Douglas County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.

How deep is Leader Lake?

Leader Lake has a maximum depth of 56 feet. The lake covers 171 acres.

What fish are in Leader Lake?

Fish species found in Leader Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Leader Lake is located in Douglas County, Wisconsin.

Can I fish at Leader Lake?

Public access to Leader Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Wisconsin's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.

Leader Lake

Douglas County, Wisconsin171 acresView map Directions

Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Leader Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity

15.3 ft

Clearer than most

Secchi · sampled 2025

Phosphorus

9.9 µg/L

Less phosphorus than most

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Max depth

56 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

171 acres

Surface area

Type

Oligotrophic

Trophic class

Trend

Stable

7 years of samples

Oligotrophic
56 ft max depth
Public access

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Leader Lake in Douglas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 56 ft. Surface area: 171 acres.

Wisconsin DNR rates Largemouth Bass as abundant on Leader Lake. DNR survey details →

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Leader Lake is a 171-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Douglas County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 56 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including Panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike. Public access is available. Compared to the 14 other monitored lakes in Douglas County, Leader Lake ranks #5 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-09-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Leader Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water15.3 ft of visibility
Fishing4 species recorded
Deep water56 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Low algae

Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Leader 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.

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Water quality measurements for Leader Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Leader Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Crystal clear, you can see 15.3 ft down. Phosphorus 9.9 µg/L. TSI 38.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	15.3ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	9.9µg/L	Good GoodFairPoor
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.	38	Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.

Ask about Leader Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR rates Largemouth Bass as abundant on Leader Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Leader Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is stable. 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 1991. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2025).

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Largemouth Bass(Abundant)Panfish(Common)Northern Pike(Present)Walleye(Present)

Contour map (PDF) →Full WI DNR LakePage →Water quality stations →

Lake Details

Max depth

56 ft

Surface area

171 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Leader Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Leader Lake in Douglas 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.

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Fish Species

Panfish Largemouth Bass Northern Pike Walleye

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Leader Lake

Water Quality Trend: Stable

Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).

Water clarity
Improving
7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening
+3.51 µg/L/yr5 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Douglas County

Bond Lake—View →Bardon Lake27 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Pickerel Lake—View →Bass Lake—View →Whitefish Lake25 ft clear · Oligotrophic—View →Clear Lake—View →

Frequently asked questions about Leader Lake

Where is Leader Lake?: Leader Lake is a lake in Douglas County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Leader Lake?: Leader Lake in Douglas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 56 ft. Surface area: 171 acres.
Is Leader Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Leader Lake?: Leader Lake has a maximum depth of 56 feet. The lake covers 171 acres.
What fish are in Leader Lake?: Fish species found in Leader Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Leader Lake is located in Douglas County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Leader Lake?: Wisconsin DNR rates Largemouth Bass as abundant on Leader Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Leader Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Leader Lake?: Public access to Leader Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Wisconsin's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.

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Washburn County · 10 ft

Upper Kimball Lake

Washburn County · 10 ft

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Oligotrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

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Where this data comes from

33 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 ResourcesWIDNR_WQX33 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

Phosphorus by Colorimetry

Monitoring station identifiers (1)

WIDNR_WQX-163238

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.