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Thunder Lake

Marinette County, WisconsinOligotrophic

Thunder Lake earns an A — every scored parameter (clarity and phosphorus) rates among the best monitored waters in Marinette County. clarity and phosphorus rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

A TSI value of 37 puts Thunder Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. The lake's 62 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Wisconsin — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. The lake's 133 acres and partial shoreline records put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Within Marinette County's 21 graded waters, Thunder Lake sits at rank 2, near the top of the local distribution.

Thunder Lake is on the Wisconsin infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. The fishery is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-09-17. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

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Swimming Safety

Excellent for swimming, crystal clear water with minimal algae

Water Quality Grade: A, Excellent

Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down. Phosphorus level: 10.3 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 37.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)18 ftA
Phosphorus10.3 µg/LA
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)37Oligotrophic

Low nutrients, clear water, excellent for swimming

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth62 ft
Surface Area133 acres

Fish Species

Click a species to see all Wisconsin and Minnesota lakes where it is found.

→ Best fishing times for Thunder Lake (14-day solunar calendar)

→ Is it safe to eat fish from Thunder Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)

Thunder Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

Invasive & Introduced Species

Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.

Banded Mystery SnailEurasian Water-MilfoilZebra Mussel

Water Quality Trend: Stable

Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Improving+0.771 m/yr6
Phosphorus Declining+0.69 µg/L/yr5
See year-by-year chart →

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #2 of 21 lakes in Marinette County

Nearby Lakes in Marinette County

WI DNR Lake Profile

Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. Monitored by volunteers since 1988. 17 stations on file (most recent sample 2026).

DNR Assessment
Reported
Trophic State Index 36 (oligotrophic) · 5-year average

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Largemouth Bass(Common)Panfish(Present)Trout(Present)

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Most recent sample: 2025-09-17

Monitoring stations: 1