Moss Lake East

Moss Lake East sits at the top of the Wisconsin DNR grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in 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 sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. The lake bottoms out at 29 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. At 185 acres, Moss Lake East fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Within the 202 graded lakes of Vilas County, Moss Lake East sits at rank 152, near the bottom of the county list.

Moss Lake East has at least one documented invasive species (Purple Loosestrife), so boaters and anglers should observe clean-drain-dry steps when leaving the lake. Walleye are documented at Moss Lake East, one of 6 fish species on record for the lake. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.