Range Line Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Range Line Lake pulls an A: clarity at 25.0 ft and phosphorus readings still being added put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

Trophically, Range Line Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. Range Line Lake is a shallow lake at 13 ft maximum depth, which means it warms quickly, mixes constantly, and amplifies nutrient inputs. The lake is compact at 61 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Within Vilas County's 202 graded lakes, Range Line Lake ranks 142 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

No invasive species are currently listed at Range Line Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. The fishery is bass-led, with 2 documented species across the lake's records. 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.