Overview

Fisher Lake is a soft water drainage lake having slightly acid, medium brown water of low transparency. There are three inlet streams, Pardee Creek, Turtle River, and the creek from Beaver Lake. Only the Turtle River affords any practical boating use. The outlet stream, Turtle River, is navigable and is tributary to Spider Lake. There is a water control structure, Shay Dam, having a head of five feet located one mile downstream from Fisher Lake. Sand is the predominant littoral material (52 percent), with muck (35 percent), gravel (7 percent), and some rubble. The shoreline is predominantly upland (90 percent), with the balance being wetland of the shrub-swamp type. Fish inhabiting this lake are northern pike, muskellunge, walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, rock bass, pumpkinseed, yellow perch, northern redhorse, white sucker, black bullhead, log perch, Johnny darter, blunt-nosed minnow, common shiner, and golden shiner. Waterfowl use this lake on their spring and fall migrations and nesting waterfowl may use this area. Beaver and muskrat are present. Moderate amounts of aquatic vegetation are found in the bays and along the shoreline. There are 45 dwellings and three resorts located on the shoreline. Access with parking from an improved launching ramp is available from a county facility. Navigable water access is also possible via the Turtle River as well as that of the unimproved or difficult type without parking from a town road that crosses the inlet between Fisher and Catherine Lakes. Iron County Forest lands front on this lake, having 0.7 mile of frontage. There is a modest water level fluctuation, having a range of about two feet and attributed to the water control structure on the outlet stream (Shay Dam). On June 15, 1967, the upper thermocline depth was at 14 feet. Below 19 feet the oxygen content was less than two parts per million.

Surface Acres = 452.4, S.D.F. = 3.62, Maximum Depth = 25 feet

Source:1970, Surface Water Resources of Iron County,WI:WI-DNR Fisher Lake, T44N, R4E, Section 35

Date  1970

Author   Aquatic Biologist

General Condition

Fisher Lake (WBIC 2307300) was assessed during the 2018 listing cycle; new total phosphorus sample data were clearly below the 2018 WisCALM listing thresholds for the Recreation use and the Fish and Aquatic Life use. New chlorophyll-a sample data were clearly below the Fish and Aquatic Life use. This water was meeting these designated uses and was not considered impaired.

Date  2017

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

Recommendations

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

Monitoring Projects

Watershed Characteristics

Fisher Lake is located in the Flambeau Flowage watershed which is 247.18 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (56.80%), wetland (28.20%) and a mix of open (14.10%) and other uses (0.90%). This watershed has 190.98 stream miles, 10,199.06 lake acres and 43,978.35 wetland acres.

Nonpoint Source Characteristics

This watershed is ranked Not Ranked for runoff impacts on streams, Not Ranked 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.