Van Zile Lake

Van Zile Lake carries a solid B grade — strong on most parameters, with measurements that hold up well across the summer season. Clarity is the limiting factor — phosphorus is reasonable but suspended particles or algal cells keep water transparency below Wisconsin norms.

At a TSI of 50, Van Zile Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. A maximum depth of 17 ft puts Van Zile Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. The lake is compact at 78 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Van Zile Lake ranks 27 of 34 in Forest County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Van Zile Lake has no invasive species recorded in Wisconsin state databases as of 2025, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 3, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. 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.