Starrett Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Starrett Lake grades a B, with clarity at 14.5 ft and phosphorus readings still being added placing it above the Wisconsin median. 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.

Trophically, Starrett Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. A maximum depth of 19 ft puts Starrett Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. Starrett Lake is small — 67 acres alongside partial shoreline records — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Within Vilas County's 191 graded lakes, Starrett Lake ranks 118 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

No invasive species are currently listed at Starrett Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. Walleye are documented at Starrett Lake, one of 5 fish species on record for the lake. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. 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.