Rice Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Rice Lake grades a B, with clarity readings still being added and 22 µg/L of phosphorus placing it above the Wisconsin median. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Rice Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of just 6 ft means sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the water column whenever wind stirs the bottom — a classic shallow-lake dynamic. At 201 acres, Rice Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Rice Lake ranks 29 of 35 in Forest County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Rice Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 3, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.