Little Round Lake
Sawyer County, Wisconsin179 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Round Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 38 ft max depth
Little Round Lake in Sawyer County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 38 ft. Surface area: 179 acres.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Little Round Lake. DNR survey details →
Little Round Lake is a 179-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Sawyer County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 38 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. Compared to the 44 other monitored lakes in Sawyer County, Little Round Lake ranks #10 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-08-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Little Round Lake covers about 180 acres in Sawyer County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Little Round Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Little Round Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.3 ft of visibility
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Deep water38 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow 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 Round 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.
Water quality measurements for Little Round Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Little Round 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 17.3 ft down. Phosphorus 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 12µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Little Round Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Little Round Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Round 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 2025. 2 stations on file (most recent sample 2025).
Fish Species (DNR-rated)
Lake Details
Max depth
38 ft
Surface area
179 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Little Round Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Little Round Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Little Round Lake
- → Little Round Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Little Round Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Little Round Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Little Round Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.96 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.02 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Sawyer County
Frequently asked questions about Little Round Lake
Where is Little Round Lake?
- Little Round Lake is a lake in Sawyer 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 Round Lake?
- Little Round Lake in Sawyer County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1 µg/L. Maximum depth: 38 ft. Surface area: 179 acres.
Is Little Round Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Little Round Lake?
- Little Round Lake has a maximum depth of 38 feet. The lake covers 179 acres.
What fish are in Little Round Lake?
- Fish species found in Little Round Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Little Round Lake is located in Sawyer County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Little Round Lake?
- Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Little Round Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Little Round 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.
Explore Little Round Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
78 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Lac Courte Oreilles (Tribal)
LCOWIS_WQX73 samples · 2020–2024 - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX5 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- 4500 P F ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry Automated Ascorbic Acid Method
- 2320 B ~ Alkalinity by Gran Titration
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus by Ascorbic Acid
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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