Where is Windfall Lake?

Windfall Lake is a lake in Forest County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water temperature of Windfall Lake?

Windfall Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in August, from 25 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Windfall Lake?

Windfall Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet. The lake covers 53 acres.

What fish are in Windfall Lake?

Fish species found in Windfall Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike. Windfall Lake is located in Forest County, Wisconsin.

Are there boat ramps on Windfall Lake?

Windfall Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Windfall Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Can I fish at Windfall Lake?

Windfall Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Wisconsin's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.

Windfall Lake

Forest County, Wisconsin53 acresView map Directions

Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Windfall Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity

10 ft

Typical for Wisconsin

Secchi · sampled 2026

Phosphorus

21.2 µg/L

Typical for Wisconsin

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Water temp

~71°F

Typical for Aug · EPA WQP

Max depth

25 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

53 acres

Surface area

Type

Mesotrophic

Trophic class

Mesotrophic
25 ft max depth
Public access

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Windfall Lake in Forest County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 53 acres.

Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish as abundant on Windfall Lake. DNR survey details →

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Windfall Lake is a 53-acre mesotrophic lake in Forest County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 25 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 22 other monitored lakes in Forest County, Windfall Lake ranks #11 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Windfall Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water10 ft of visibility
Boat launch1 documented ramp
Fishing4 species recorded

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Low algae

Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Windfall Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.

Compare swimming lakes near Rhinelander →

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Water quality measurements for Windfall Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Windfall Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft. Phosphorus 21.2 µg/L. TSI 46.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	10ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	21.2µg/L	Good GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)		No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water.
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.	46	Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Windfall Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Water Temperature

Windfall Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in May (about 62°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

62°

May

71°

Jun

79°

Jul

71°

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (62°F) to its warmest (79°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 25 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Windfall Lake water temperature breakdown →

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish as abundant on Windfall Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Windfall Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

WI DNR Lake Profile

Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. Monitored by volunteers since 1994. 4 stations on file (most recent sample 2025).

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Panfish(Abundant)Largemouth Bass(Common)Northern Pike(Common)Musky(Present)

Contour map (PDF) →Full WI DNR LakePage →Water quality stations →

Lake Details

Max depth

25 ft

Surface area

53 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

4 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

1.5 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,516 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Recreation & Access

Boat Landings

Yes

Public Access

Windfall LakePublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Windfall Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Windfall Lake in Forest County, Wisconsin — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near Windfall Lake

Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Wisconsin’s top lakes →

Follow Windfall Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

Musky Panfish Largemouth Bass Northern Pike

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Windfall Lake

Water Quality Trend: Stable

Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).

Water clarity
Improving
7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening
+2.78 µg/L/yr5 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Forest County

Bogbrook Lake—View →Shoe Lake—View →Little Long Lake13.1 ft clear—View →Zarling Lake—View →Richardson Lake—View →Himley Lake—View →

Frequently asked questions about Windfall Lake

Where is Windfall Lake?: Windfall Lake is a lake in Forest County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Windfall Lake?: Windfall Lake in Forest County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 53 acres.
Is Windfall Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Windfall Lake?: Windfall Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in August, from 25 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Windfall Lake?: Windfall Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet. The lake covers 53 acres.
What fish are in Windfall Lake?: Fish species found in Windfall Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike. Windfall Lake is located in Forest County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Windfall Lake?: Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish as abundant on Windfall Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Windfall Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Windfall Lake?: Windfall Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Windfall Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Windfall Lake?: Windfall Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Wisconsin's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.

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State Parks Near Windfall Lake

Governor Thompson State Park

State Park · 24.9 mi

Other Lakes in Wisconsin

Mary Lake

Langlade County · 7 ft

Jessie Lake

Langlade County · 6.5 ft

Explosion Lake

Oconto County · 17 ft

Horn Lake

Oconto County · 8.8 ft

Sawyer Lake

Langlade County · 10 ft

Reservoir Pond

Oconto County · 9.5 ft

Mesotrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Mary Lake Jessie Lake Horn Lake Sawyer Lake

Where this data comes from

144 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX144 samples · 2020–2026

Analytical methods

Phosphorus by Colorimetry

Monitoring station identifiers (2)

EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.