Mission Lake

Mission Lake sits at the top of the Wisconsin DNR grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Wisconsin. With clarity and phosphorus scored, the sub-grades cluster within a letter of each other, pointing to stable conditions rather than one specific stressor.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Mission Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of 44 ft puts Mission Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. The lake is compact at 25 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Among the 27 graded lakes in Shawano County, Mission Lake ranks 1 — in the top quartile locally.

Mission Lake carries an invasive watermilfoil record — boat-launch decontamination and shoreline care matter more here than at uninfested lakes. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 2, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.