Van Vliet Lake

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

The lake's low TSI puts it in oligotrophic territory — the cleanest of the four trophic classes, but also the most vulnerable to nutrient-driven shifts. Van Vliet Lake reaches 20 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Van Vliet Lake covers 230 acres alongside partial shoreline records — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Among the 202 graded lakes in Vilas County, Van Vliet Lake ranks 28 — in the top quartile locally.

Van Vliet Lake has at least one documented invasive species (Rusty Crayfish), so boaters and anglers should observe clean-drain-dry steps when leaving the lake. Walleye are documented at Van Vliet 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. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.