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LakeQuality

Lester Lake

Bayfield County, Wisconsin26 acresView mapDirections

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

Clarity
13.1 ft
Clearer than most
Secchi · sampled 2022
Phosphorus
10.4 µg/L
Less phosphorus than most
Measured by Wisconsin DNR
Max depth
50 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
26 acres
Surface area
  • 50 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Lester Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 26 acres.

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Lester Lake. DNR survey details →

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Lester Lake is a 26-acre lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 50 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 2 documented fish species including Panfish and Largemouth Bass.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2022-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Lester Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water13.1 ft of visibility
  • Deep water50 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

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

Whether Lester 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 Lester Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Lester 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 13.1 ft. Phosphorus 10.4 µg/L. TSI 39.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)13.1ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus10.4µg/LMeasured, not scored

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.39Oligotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

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

Ask about Lester Lake

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

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Lester Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lester Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. 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. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2022).

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Panfish(Common)Largemouth Bass(Present)

Lake Details

Max depth

50 ft

Surface area

26 acres

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Lester Lake

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Top-rated places to stay near Lester Lake

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Fish Species

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

Fishing Lester Lake

2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.

  • Water clarity

    Worsening

    2 years

  • Phosphorus

    Worsening

    +12.73 µg/L/yr2 years

Nearby Lakes in Bayfield County

Frequently asked questions about Lester Lake

Where is Lester Lake?

Lester 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 Lester Lake?

Lester Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 26 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Lester Lake safe to swim in?

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

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Lester Lake?

Lester Lake has a maximum depth of 50 feet. The lake covers 26 acres.

What fish are in Lester Lake?

Fish species found in Lester Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass. Lester Lake is located in Bayfield County, Wisconsin.

Fish on this page ↑

What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Lester Lake?

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Lester Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lester Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR on this page ↑

Oligotrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Where this data comes from

4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX4 samples · 2022

Analytical methods

  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • Turbidity in Water
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

Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes