Red Bass Lake

Red Bass Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Wisconsin lake of its size and depth. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. Red Bass Lake reaches 22 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. The lake is compact at 27 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Red Bass Lake ranks 169 of 202 in Vilas County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Red Bass Lake has no invasive species recorded in Wisconsin state databases as of 2025, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. A documented public access point at Red Bass Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.