Vilas
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Gunlock Lake, in the Upper Tomahawk River Watershed, is a 263.82 acre lake that falls in Vilas County. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
Source: 1963, Surface Water Resources of Vilas County Gunlock Lake, T-40-N, R-5-E, Sections 25, 26 and 35, Area = 267-Surface Acres, maximum Depth = 26 feet.
Gunlock Lake is a spring-fed lake of moderate fertility. It has light brown slightly alkaline water of moderate transparency. The predominant bottom material is sand; however, some small amounts of muck are also present. The outlet stream is considered to be navigable water. The principal fish species present in Gurlock Lake are the muskellunge, northern pike, walleye, large and smallmouth bass and pan fish. The lake is considered to have a stunted pan fish population and aquatic weed growth is a problem. Presently, the only form of public access to Gunlock Lake is by navigable water. Public use facilities consist of three resorts. There are 33 cottages located on or about the shore line. The lake is of little significance to fur bearers. The lake is used as a nesting site by mallard, black and bluewing teal ducks, as well as by hooded mergansers. The lake is also used occasionally by ducks on the spring and fall migration.
Date 1963
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
General Condition
Gunlock Lake (1539700) was assessed during the 2016 listing cycle; total phosphorus and chlorophyll sample data were clearly below 2016 WisCALM listing thresholds for the Recreation use and Fish and Aquatic Life use. This water is meeting these designated uses and is not considered impaired.
Date 2015
Author Ashley Beranek
Condition
Wisconsin has over 84,000 miles of streams, 15,000 lakes and milllions of acres of wetlands. Assessing the condition of this vast amount of water is challenging. The state's water monitoring program uses a media-based, cross-program approach to analyze water condition. An updated monitoring strategy (2015-2020) is now available. Compliance with Clean Water Act fishable, swimmable standards are located in the Executive Summary of Water Condition in 2018. See also the 'monitoring and projects' tab.
Reports
Management Goals
Wisconsin's Water Quality Standards provide qualitative and quantitative goals for waters that are protective of Fishable, Swimmable conditions [Learn more]. Waters that do not meet water quality standards are considered impaired and restoration actions are planned and carried out until the water is once again fishable and swimmable
Management goals can include creation or implementation of a Total Maximum Daily Load analysis, a Nine Key Element Plan, or other restoration work, education and outreach and more. If specific recommendations exist for this water, they will be displayed below online.
Monitoring
Monitoring the condition of a river, stream, or lake includes gathering physical, chemical, biological, and habitat data. Comprehensive studies often gather all these parameters in great detail, while lighter assessment events will involve sampling physical, chemical and biological data such as macroinvertebrates. Aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish communities integrate watershed or catchment condition, providing great insight into overall ecosystem health. Chemical and habitat parameters tell researchers more about human induced problems including contaminated runoff, point source dischargers, or habitat issues that foster or limit the potential of aquatic communities to thrive in a given area. Wisconsin's Water Monitoring Strategy was recenty updated.
Grants and Management Projects
| Project Name (Click for Details) | Year Started |
|---|
| TOWN OF LAC DU FLAMBEAU: AIS Watercraft Inspection, Education & Lake Monitoring Project | 2009 |
| SHISHEBOGAMA & GUNLOCK LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC: Shishebogama & Gunlock Lake Association, Inc 2018 CBCW | 2018 |
| TOWN OF LAC DU FLAMBEAU: AIS Watercraft Inspection, Education, & Lake Monitoring Project | 2007 |
| SHISHEBOGAMA & GUNLOCK LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC: Shishebogama/Gunlock Lakes Association 2016 Clean Boats/Clean Waters | 2016 |
| TOWN OF LAC DU FLAMBEAU: AIS Watercraft Inspection, Education & Lake Monitoring | 2008 |
| SHISHEBOGAMA & GUNLOCK LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC: Shishebogama & Gunlock Lake Management Planning Project, Phase 2 | 2009 |
| SHISHEBOGAMA & GUNLOCK LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC: Shishebogama & Gunlock Lake Association, Inc 2017 CBCW | 2017 |
| SHISHEBOGAMA & GUNLOCK LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC: Shishebogama and Gunlock Lakes Management Planning - Shishebogama | 2019 |
| SHISHEBOGAMA & GUNLOCK LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC: Gunlock and Shishebogama Clean Boats Clean Waters Project 2015 | 2015 |
| SHISHEBOGAMA & GUNLOCK LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC: Shishebogama and Gunlock Lakes Management Planning - Gunlock | 2019 |
| TOWN OF LAC DU FLAMBEAU: AIS Boat Inspection, Education, & Lake Monitoring | 2006 |
| TOWN OF LAC DU FLAMBEAU: AIS Watercraft Inspection, Education & Lake Monitoring Project | 2010 |
| SHISHEBOGAMA & GUNLOCK LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC: Shishebogama & Gunlock Lake Association, Inc 2019 CBCW | 2019 |
| Fish Propagation Actions | 2001 |
| SHISHEBOGAMA & GUNLOCK LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC: Shishebogama & Gunlock Lake Management Planning Project, Phase 1 | 2009 |
| TOWN OF LAC DU FLAMBEAU: Lake Steward Program | 2011 |
| SHISHEBOGAMA & GUNLOCK LAKE ASSOCIATION, INC: Shishebogama & Gunlock Lake Association, Inc 2020 CBCW | 2020 |
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Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
|---|
| 1539700 | Gunlock Lake | 643066 | Gunlock Lake - Deep Hole -Site 1 - N End | 7/16/1979 | 8/26/2024 | Map | Data |
| 1539700 | Gunlock Lake | 10019787 | Gunlock Lake -- Access at Along Sunrise Camp Rd | 6/8/2002 | 9/7/2024 | Map | Data |
| 1539700 | Gunlock Lake | 10052920 | Gunlock Lake - Site 2 | 8/9/2019 | 8/9/2019 | Map | Data |
| 1539700 | Gunlock Lake | 10053353 | North Shore of Channel between Gunlock and Shishebogama Lakes | 7/26/2022 | 7/26/2022 | Map | Data |
| 1539700 | Gunlock Lake | 10006143 | Gunlock Lake | 4/27/1979 | 4/7/2024 | Map | Data |
| 1539700 | Gunlock Lake | 643434 | Gunlock Lake - Site 2 - Center Of Sw Bay | 5/13/1990 | 8/26/2024 | Map | Data |
|
Watershed Characteristics
Gunlock Lake is located in the Upper Tomahawk River watershed which is 186.83 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (67%), wetland (16%) and a mix of open (14%) and other uses (3.10%). This watershed has 139.00 stream miles, 17,609.90 lake acres and 20,470.21 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked High for runoff impacts on streams, High for runoff impacts on lakes and Low for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of Low. This value can be used in ranking the watershed or individual waterbodies for grant funding under state and county programs.However, all waters are affected by diffuse pollutant sources regardless of initial water quality. Applications for specific runoff projects under state or county grant programs may be pursued. For more information, go to surface water program grants.