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LakeQuality

Long Lake

Lincoln County, Wisconsin119 acresView mapDirections

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

Clarity
14.5 ft
Clearer than most
Secchi · sampled 2026
Phosphorus
12.4 µg/L
Less phosphorus than most
Measured by Wisconsin DNR
Max depth
64 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
119 acres
Surface area
Type
Oligotrophic
Trophic class
Trend
Improving
7 years of samples
  • Oligotrophic
  • Impaired · Mercury
  • 64 ft max depth
  • Public access

Long Lake in Lincoln County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 64 ft. Surface area: 119 acres.

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

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Long Lake is a 119-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Lincoln County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 64 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 12 other monitored lakes in Lincoln County, Long Lake ranks #4 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Long Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water14.5 ft of visibility
  • Boat launch1 documented ramp
  • Fishing4 species recorded
  • Deep water64 ft surveyed max depth

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. Long Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Long 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 Long Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Long 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 14.5 ft. Phosphorus 12.4 µg/L. TSI 40.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)14.5ftMeasured, not scored

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

Total phosphorus12.4µg/LGood
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.40Oligotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

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

Ask about Long Lake

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

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Long Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Long Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is improving. 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 1994. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2025).

DNR Assessment
Excellent · Deep Seepage lake
Trophic State Index 38 (oligotrophic) · 5-year average

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

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

Lake Details

Max depth

64 ft

Surface area

119 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

3 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

4 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,752 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Recreation & Access

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Long LakePublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Long Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Long Lake in Lincoln County, Wisconsin — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near Long Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Wisconsin’s top lakes →

Follow Long Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

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

Fishing Long 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.

Chinese Mystery Snail

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

  • Water clarity

    Improving

    6 years

  • Phosphorus

    Improving

    -1.83 µg/L/yr7 years

See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

Long Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit WI10026794 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Lincoln County

Frequently asked questions about Long Lake

Where is Long Lake?

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

What is the water quality of Long Lake?

Long Lake in Lincoln County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 64 ft. Surface area: 119 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Long Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Long Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Long Lake?

Long Lake has a maximum depth of 64 feet. The lake covers 119 acres.

What fish are in Long Lake?

Fish species found in Long Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike. Long Lake is located in Lincoln County, Wisconsin.

Fish on this page ↑

What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Long Lake?

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Long Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Long Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR on this page ↑

Are there boat ramps on Long Lake?

Long Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Long Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Access on this page ↑

Can I fish at Long Lake?

Long Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.

Access on this page ↑

Oligotrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Where this data comes from

38 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_WQX38 samples · 2020–2026

Analytical methods

  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory