Where is Little Horn Lake?

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

How deep is Little Horn Lake?

Little Horn Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet. The lake covers 25 acres.

What fish are in Little Horn Lake?

Fish species found in Little Horn Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike. Little Horn Lake is located in Oconto County, Wisconsin.

Can I fish at Little Horn Lake?

Public access to Little Horn 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.

Little Horn Lake

Oconto County, Wisconsin25 acresView map Directions

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

Clarity

13.3 ft

Clearer than most

Secchi · sampled 2026

Phosphorus

14.1 µg/L

Typical for Wisconsin

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Max depth

25 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

25 acres

Surface area

Type

Mesotrophic

Trophic class

Trend

Stable

7 years of samples

Mesotrophic
25 ft max depth
Public access

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Little Horn Lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 25 acres.

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Little Horn Lake. DNR survey details →

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Little Horn Lake is a 25-acre mesotrophic lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 25 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including Panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike. Public access is available. Compared to the 38 other monitored lakes in Oconto County, Little Horn Lake ranks #21 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Little Horn Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water13.3 ft of visibility
Fishing3 species recorded

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 Little Horn 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.

Compare swimming lakes near Rhinelander →

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Water quality measurements for Little Horn Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Little Horn 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 13.3 ft. Phosphorus 14.1 µg/L. TSI 41.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	13.3ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	14.1µg/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.	41	Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Little Horn Lake

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

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Little Horn Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Horn 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 2003. 3 stations on file (most recent sample 2025).

DNR Assessment

Excellent · Deep Headwater lake

Trophic State Index 41 (mesotrophic) · 5-year average

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Panfish(Present)Largemouth Bass(Present)Northern Pike(Present)

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

Lake Details

Max depth

25 ft

Surface area

25 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Little Horn Lake

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Top-rated places to stay near Little Horn Lake

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Follow Little Horn Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

Panfish Largemouth Bass Northern Pike

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

Fishing Little Horn Lake

Invasive & Introduced Species

Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.

Eurasian Water-MilfoilHybrid Eurasian / Northern Water-Milfoil

Water Quality Trend: Stable

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

Water clarity
Worsening
7 years
Phosphorus
Improving
-1.05 µg/L/yr5 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Oconto County

Reservoir Pond9.5 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Horn Lake8.8 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Explosion Lake17 ft clear · Oligotrophic—View →Upper Wapato Lake—View →Lower Wapato Lake—View →Townsend Flowage LakeMesotrophic—View →

Frequently asked questions about Little Horn Lake

Where is Little Horn Lake?: Little Horn Lake is a lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Horn Lake?: Little Horn Lake in Oconto County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 25 acres.
Is Little Horn Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Little Horn Lake?: Little Horn Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet. The lake covers 25 acres.
What fish are in Little Horn Lake?: Fish species found in Little Horn Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike. Little Horn Lake is located in Oconto County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Little Horn Lake?: Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Little Horn Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Horn 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 Little Horn Lake?: Public access to Little Horn 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.

Explore Little Horn Lake across LakeQuality

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State Parks Near Little Horn Lake

Governor Thompson State Park

State Park · 18.5 mi

Other Lakes in Wisconsin

Mary Lake

Langlade County · 7 ft

Jessie Lake

Langlade County · 6.5 ft

Sawyer Lake

Langlade County · 10 ft

Windfall Lake

Forest County · 10 ft

Roberts Lake

Forest County · 11.7 ft

Bear Lake

Forest County · 5.6 ft

Mesotrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Mary Lake Jessie Lake Sawyer Lake Windfall Lake

Where this data comes from

69 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX69 samples · 2020–2026

Analytical methods

Phosphorus by Colorimetry

Monitoring station identifiers (1)

WIDNR_WQX-433368

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.