Sand Bar Lake
Bayfield County, Wisconsin127 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Sand Bar Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 49 ft max depth
- Limited data
Sand Bar Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 49 ft. Surface area: 127 acres.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Sand Bar Lake. DNR survey details →
Sand Bar Lake is a 127-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 49 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including Panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike. Compared to the 23 other monitored lakes in Bayfield County, Sand Bar Lake ranks #18 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Sand Bar Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19 ft of visibility
- Fishing3 species recorded
- Deep water49 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sand Bar Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Sand Bar Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Sand Bar Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 19 ft down. Phosphorus 9.9 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 19ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9.9µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Sand Bar Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Sand Bar Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Bar Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
WI DNR Lake Profile
Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. 3 stations on file (most recent sample 2025).
Fish Species (DNR-rated)
Lake Details
Max depth
49 ft
Surface area
127 acres
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sand Bar Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2021–2026).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.23 µg/L/yr3 years
Nearby Lakes in Bayfield County
Frequently asked questions about Sand Bar Lake
Where is Sand Bar Lake?
- Sand Bar Lake is a lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sand Bar Lake?
- Sand Bar Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 49 ft. Surface area: 127 acres.
Is Sand Bar Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sand Bar Lake?
- Sand Bar Lake has a maximum depth of 49 feet. The lake covers 127 acres.
What fish are in Sand Bar Lake?
- Fish species found in Sand Bar Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike. Sand Bar Lake is located in Bayfield County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sand Bar Lake?
- Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as present on Sand Bar Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Bar Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
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Where this data comes from
13 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX13 samples · 2023–2026
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes