Plummer Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin219 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Plummer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 85 ft max depth
Plummer Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 85 ft. Surface area: 219 acres.
Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Plummer Lake. DNR survey details →
Plummer Lake is a 219-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 85 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. Compared to the 102 other monitored lakes in Vilas County, Plummer Lake ranks #28 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Plummer Lake covers about 220 acres in Vilas County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Plummer Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Plummer Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water18 ft of visibility
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Deep water85 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Plummer Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Plummer Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Plummer Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down. Phosphorus 11.8 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 18ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 11.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Plummer Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Plummer Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Aug (about 70°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (70°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 8 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Plummer Lake water temperature breakdown →
Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Plummer Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Plummer Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
WI DNR Lake Profile
Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. Monitored by volunteers since 1998. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2025).
Fish Species (DNR-rated)
Lake Details
Max depth
85 ft
Surface area
219 acres
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,604 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Plummer Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Plummer Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Plummer Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Plummer Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).
Water clarity
Worsening7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.49 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Vilas County
Frequently asked questions about Plummer Lake
Where is Plummer Lake?
- Plummer Lake is a lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Plummer Lake?
- Plummer Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 85 ft. Surface area: 219 acres.
Is Plummer Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Plummer Lake?
- Plummer Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in August, from 8 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Plummer Lake?
- Plummer Lake has a maximum depth of 85 feet. The lake covers 219 acres.
What fish are in Plummer Lake?
- Fish species found in Plummer Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye. Plummer Lake is located in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Plummer Lake?
- Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Plummer Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Plummer Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Explore Plummer Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
48 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX48 samples · 2020–2026
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes