Prairie Lake

Prairie Lake earns an F: phosphorus readings still being added and clarity at 2.1 ft signal heavy nutrient loading from the surrounding watershed.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. The lake bottoms out at 16 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. With 1,408 acres of surface and partial shoreline records, Prairie Lake is a large water by Wisconsin standards — recreational pressure is spread across a long shoreline. Prairie Lake ranks 36 of 37 in Barron County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Prairie Lake has at least one documented invasive species (Banded Mystery Snail), so boaters and anglers should observe clean-drain-dry steps when leaving the lake. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 5 documented species — a notable draw for Wisconsin anglers. 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.