Windfall Lake

Windfall Lake sits at the top of the Wisconsin DNR grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Wisconsin. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

Trophically, Windfall Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. The lake bottoms out at 25 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Windfall Lake is small — 53 acres alongside partial shoreline records — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Windfall Lake ranks 27 of 35 in Forest County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Windfall Lake has no invasive species recorded in Wisconsin state databases as of 2025, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery is bass-led, with 4 documented species across the lake's records. A documented public access point at Windfall Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.