Samoset Lake

Samoset Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Bayfield County. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI value of 32 puts Samoset Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. Samoset Lake reaches 40 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Samoset Lake is small — 43 acres alongside partial shoreline records — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Among the 55 graded lakes in Bayfield County, Samoset Lake sits at rank 17, above the county median.

No invasive species are currently listed at Samoset Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. Walleye are documented at Samoset Lake, one of 3 fish species on record for the lake. 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.