Smith Lake

Smith Lake sits at the top of the Wisconsin DNR grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Wisconsin. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Smith Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of just 11 ft means sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the water column whenever wind stirs the bottom — a classic shallow-lake dynamic. Smith Lake is small — 20 acres alongside partial shoreline records — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Smith Lake sits at rank 14 of 22 in Marinette County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Smith Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Smith Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.