Arbutus Lake (Forest County)
Waterbody ID (WBIC): 181400 — permanent page /lakes/181400/.
Arbutus Lake is in Forest County; records show 163 acres and 1 DNR access-site record.
- Size
- 163 acres
- Lake type
- SEEPAGE
- Max depth
- 28 ft
- Mean depth
- 12 ft
- 1 documented public access site record (DNR access inventory)
- 3 fish species/groups with abundance categories (DNR lake page)
- Fish stocking documented through 2018 (DNR stocking records)
- Summer Secchi clarity median 15 ft (field measurements)
- Official DNR depth map available (PDF)
Back to results Show on map Choose access / Directions Depth map (PDF) Check current DNR regulations
Plan your visit
- Lake directory: public landing — Yes
- Lake directory: public beach — No
- Lake directory: public park — No
- DNR public-access inventory: 1 documented access site record
- 1 site qualify for per-site Directions through the reviewed lake association (load the site details below)
Each statement is bounded to its named source; absence of a record is never evidence of no access. The DNR access database may lag reality; posted signs at the landing are authoritative.
Verify at the DNR public boat access program page.
Nearby facilities
- ROBERTS LAKE BL — Boating site; ≈7.6 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈7.7 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
- EDS LAKE TRAILHEAD — Trailhead; ≈8.8 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈8.9 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
- HIMLEY CA — Camping area; ≈10.2 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈10.2 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
- ADA LAKE — Campground; ≈10.3 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈10.4 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged. Official USFS page
- LUDINGTON LAKE BL — Boating site; ≈10.7 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈10.8 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
- 2 more inventoried sites within 15 km.
USFS Chequamegon-Nicolet constructed recreation sites only; straight-line distance is geographic context, not a travel route.
Documented public access sites — load details
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Fishing
The DNR lake page publishes 3 fish species/groups with abundance categories — categories are source labels, never a population count.
DNR fish labels: Largemouth Bass—Abundant; Panfish—Abundant; Walleye—Present; not population counts.
Stocking records: 22 documented events through 2018, 84,127 fish total. Species: Walleye (Rare). Events in 2015 or later count as recent.
Fisheries survey population estimates are published for this lake; survey estimates are historical point-in-time studies and are never compared or ranked here.
Fishing limits — 2026-2027 season: 19 normalized rows across 19 species entries. Normalized from the DNR ruleset retrieved 2026-08-04. Source text remains authoritative.
Fish species and abundance detail — load details
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Detailed stocking history — load details
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Fisheries survey estimates — load details
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2026-2027 retained fishing rules: 19 published rows for 19 species; effective through 2027-03-07. Check current DNR rules.
Normalized fishing-regulation rows — load details
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Water and setting
- Field-measured summer Secchi clarity: median 15 ft from 9 samples, latest sample 2025-08-24
- Satellite clarity estimate: 13.84 ft (2017) — a remote-sensing estimate, kept separate from field measurements
Official DNR depth map (PDF) — Historical lake map; not for navigation. Link checked 2026-07-16.
- AIS record: Banded mystery snail — Verified, latest documented 2012-07-19
- AIS record: Chinese mystery snail — Verified, latest documented 2012-07-26
- AIS record: Eurasian watermilfoil — Verified, latest documented 2021-07-28
- AIS record: Hybrid Eurasian / northern watermilfoil — Verified, latest documented 2022-08-10
Occurrence records come from a non-exhaustive DNR inventory; a record documents presence at observation time and a missing record is never evidence of absence.
- Public-land proximity (GIS proxy, not access evidence): mapped public land within 1,000 ft; nearest: Arbutus Lake State Public Access (Wisconsin DNR); ≈2.4% of shoreline buffer
- Shoreline development (landcover proxy, 2025 source): ≈17% developed land within 300 m, ≈2.7% impervious
- Road proximity (TIGER proxy, 2025 source): nearest local road or city street ≈27 m; ≈2.6 km of road per km² within 1 km
Measured and satellite clarity records — load details
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Aquatic invasive species records — load details
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Data & sources
Published data families
- Fish species and abundance (DNR lake pages)
- Fish stocking history
- Fishing regulations (normalized snapshot)
- Directory access facts (landing, beach, park)
- Public access site inventory
- Satellite water clarity estimate
- Field-measured Secchi clarity
- Fisheries survey population estimates
- Aquatic invasive species occurrences
Original records: Wisconsin DNR lake page.
Missing values are unpublished, never zero; each fact above is bounded to its named source and date. Full sourcing detail: Data & methods.