Spider Lake

Spider Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Sawyer County. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. At 64 ft of maximum depth, Spider Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. Spider Lake covers 1,194 acres alongside partial shoreline records, large enough that conditions can vary meaningfully between bays. Spider Lake ranks 14 of 50 in Sawyer County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Spider Lake has at least one documented invasive species (Banded Mystery Snail), so boaters and anglers should observe clean-drain-dry steps when leaving the lake. Walleye are documented at Spider Lake, one of 5 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Spider Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.