Rice Lake North

The LakeGrade rubric puts Rice Lake North at a C: clarity readings still being added, 44 µg/L of phosphorus, and a TSI of 59 signal an intermediate trophic state. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. At only 6 ft deep, Rice Lake North is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. At 201 acres, Rice Lake North fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Rice Lake North ranks 33 of 35 in Forest County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Rice Lake North 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. 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.