Wishbone Lake

The LakeGrade rubric puts Wishbone Lake at a C: clarity at 4.8 ft, 24 µg/L of phosphorus, and a TSI of 52 signal an intermediate trophic state. The lake's weakest score is on Secchi depth — the water looks more turbid than its phosphorus number alone would predict.

At a TSI of 52, Wishbone Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. Wishbone Lake reaches 40 ft at its deepest point — typical for Wisconsin mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Wishbone Lake is small — 17 acres alongside partial shoreline records — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Within the 52 graded lakes of Bayfield County, Wishbone Lake sits at rank 48, near the bottom of the county list.

No invasive species are currently listed at Wishbone Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. The fishery is bass-led, with 2 documented species across the lake's records. 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.