Little Sand Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Little Sand Lake pulls an A: clarity at 26.2 ft and 16 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. 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.

The lake's low TSI puts it in oligotrophic territory — the cleanest of the four trophic classes, but also the most vulnerable to nutrient-driven shifts. The lake bottoms out at 20 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 237 acres, Little Sand Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Little Sand Lake ranks 5 of 35 in Forest County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

No invasive species are currently listed at Little Sand Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. Walleye are documented at Little Sand Lake, one of 4 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Little Sand Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. 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.