Little Bass Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Little Bass Lake at a C: clarity at 8.8 ft, phosphorus readings still being added, and a TSI of 46 signal an intermediate trophic state. 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 Little Bass Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of 35 ft puts Little Bass Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. At 26 acres, Little Bass Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Little Bass Lake ranks 158 of 191 in Vilas County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Little Bass Lake has at least one documented invasive species (Chinese Mystery Snail), so boaters and anglers should observe clean-drain-dry steps when leaving the lake. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 2, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.