Pine Lake

Pine Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Forest County. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI near 45 places Pine Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. Pine Lake reaches 15 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 1,673 acres, Pine Lake is one of the larger lakes in Forest County, with partial shoreline records supporting multiple distinct use patterns. Pine Lake sits at rank 24 of 35 in Forest County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Pine Lake carries an invasive watermilfoil record — boat-launch decontamination and shoreline care matter more here than at uninfested lakes. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 5 documented species — a notable draw for Wisconsin anglers. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. 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.