Wildcat Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Wildcat Lake grades a B, with clarity at 7.0 ft and 17 µg/L of phosphorus placing it above the Wisconsin median. Clarity is the limiting factor — phosphorus is reasonable but suspended particles or algal cells keep water transparency below Wisconsin norms.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. Wildcat Lake reaches 38 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. The lake's 293 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. Wildcat Lake sits at rank 98 of 191 in Vilas County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

An invasive species record — Banded Mystery Snail — has been logged at Wildcat Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. Walleye are documented at Wildcat 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.