Vilas
No
No
Yes
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Pickerel Lake, in the Tamarack Pioneer River Watershed, is a 270.32 acre lake that falls in Vilas County. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently considered impaired.
Date 2018
Author Ashley Beranek
Historical Description
Source: 1963, Surface Water Resources of Vilas County Pickerel Lake, T-40-N, R-9-E, Section 5, Area = 273 Surface Acres, Maximum Depth = 24 feet.
Pickerel Lake is a drainage lake of moderate fertility. It has alkaline, clear water of moderate transparency. The bottom materials consist chiefly of sand, with muck and some gravel. Both the inlet and the outlet streams are considered to be navigable. The principal fish species present in the lake are largemouth bass, pan fish, muskellunge, northern pike, and walleye. The lake is said to have a man-made fluctuating water level. There is no improved public access presently available to Pickerel Lake, however, access is possible by means of navigable water and of the unimproved or difficult type over Conservation Department land or Commission lands. There are seven resorts, with one boat rental facility, providing public use facilities. There are sixteen cottages located on or about the shore.
Date 1963
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
Impaired Waters
Pickerel Lake was evaluated for phosphorus and algae every two years between 2014 and 2022. In the 2020 cycle algal levels were found to be too high, which was reflected in algal blooms; this was confirmed in the 2022 cycle.
Date 2022
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
Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
|---|
| 1619200 | Pickerel Creek | 643144 | Pine Creek - Pine Lake Outlet | 8/6/1973 | 8/6/2008 | Map | Data |
| 1619700 | Pickerel Lake | 10006183 | Pickerel Lake | 4/13/1999 | 10/11/2024 | Map | Data |
| 1619700 | Pickerel Lake | 643145 | Pickerel Lake - Deep Hole | 8/6/1973 | 8/31/2024 | Map | Data |
| 1619700 | Pickerel Lake | 10037701 | Pickerel Lake nearshore | 7/18/2012 | 7/18/2012 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Pickerel Lake is located in the Tamarack Pioneer River watershed which is 209.26 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (69.20%), wetland (18.50%) and a mix of open (10%) and other uses (2.30%). This watershed has 183.22 stream miles, 14,006.68 lake acres and 23,826.05 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Low for runoff impacts on streams, Medium 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.