Pickerel Lake

Pickerel Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Walworth County. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Trophically, Pickerel Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. The lake bottoms out at 31 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. The lake is compact at 32 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Pickerel Lake ranks 6 of 34 in Walworth County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

Pickerel Lake carries an invasive watermilfoil record — boat-launch decontamination and shoreline care matter more here than at uninfested lakes. The fishery is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.