Paddock Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Paddock Lake pulls an A: clarity at 49.2 ft and 16 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Trophically, Paddock Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. A maximum depth of 32 ft puts Paddock Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. At 128 acres, Paddock Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Among the 13 graded lakes in Kenosha County, Paddock Lake sits at rank 5, above the county median.

Zebra mussels have been documented at Paddock Lake, which alters the filter-feeding balance and can paradoxically increase water clarity while disrupting the food web. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 3, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. A documented public access point at Paddock 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.