Manitowish Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin496 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Manitowish Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 3 aquatic invasives
- 61 ft max depth
- Limited data
Manitowish Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 61 ft. Surface area: 496 acres.
Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Manitowish Lake. DNR survey details →
Manitowish Lake is a 496-acre lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 61 feet. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2020-08-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Manitowish Lake covers about 500 acres in Vilas County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Manitowish Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Manitowish Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Deep water61 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Manitowish 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 Manitowish Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Manitowish 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 12.5 ft. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| 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 Manitowish Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Manitowish Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (131,826 cells/mL) on April 25, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Manitowish Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Manitowish Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. 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. 5 stations on file (most recent sample 2020).
Fish Species (DNR-rated)
Lake Details
Max depth
61 ft
Surface area
496 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Manitowish Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Manitowish Lake in Vilas 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 Manitowish Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Manitowish 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.
Nearby Lakes in Vilas County
Frequently asked questions about Manitowish Lake
Where is Manitowish Lake?
- Manitowish Lake is a lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Manitowish Lake?
- Manitowish Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 61 ft. Surface area: 496 acres.
Is Manitowish Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Manitowish Lake?
- Manitowish Lake has a maximum depth of 61 feet. The lake covers 496 acres.
What fish are in Manitowish Lake?
- Fish species found in Manitowish Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Manitowish Lake is located in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Manitowish Lake?
- Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Manitowish Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Manitowish Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Does Manitowish Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Manitowish Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (131,826 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Wisconsin's current advisory before swimming.
Explore Manitowish Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
11 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX11 samples · 2020
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
Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes