Archibald Lake (Oconto County)

Waterbody ID (WBIC): 417400 — permanent page /lakes/417400/.

Archibald Lake is in Oconto County; records show 392 acres and 1 DNR access-site record.

Size

392 acres

Lake type

SEEPAGE

Max depth

50 ft

Mean depth

19 ft

• 1 documented public access site record (DNR access inventory)
• 4 fish species/groups with abundance categories (DNR lake page)
• Fish stocking documented through 2024 (DNR stocking records)
• Summer Secchi clarity median 15.8 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 — Yes
• DNR public-access inventory: 1 documented access site record
• DNR public-access inventory: documented developed boat ramp
• 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

• CATHEDRAL PINES TRAILHEAD — Trailhead; ≈0.4 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈2.7 km from the associated access point (straight line).
• BASS LAKE SWIM SITE — Swimming site; ≈1.3 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈1.4 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• BOOT LAKE — Campground; ≈3.8 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈3.9 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged. Official USFS page
• FANNY LAKE TRAILHEAD — Trailhead; ≈4.7 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈4.8 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• WHEELER LAKE SWIM SITE — Swimming site; ≈7.8 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈10.1 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• 10 more inventoried sites within 15 km.

USFS Chequamegon-Nicolet constructed recreation sites only; straight-line distance is geographic context, not a travel route.

Fishing

The DNR lake page publishes 4 fish species/groups with abundance categories — categories are source labels, never a population count.

DNR fish labels: Walleye—Common; Largemouth Bass—Present; Musky—Present; not population counts.

Stocking records: 27 documented events through 2024, 169,143 fish total. Species: Walleye (Frequent), Muskellunge And Hybrids (Frequent). 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.

• Quality Fishing Waters — Muskellunge: 50-inch minimum length limit (as listed on the DNR quality-waters page; not a complete regulations list)
• Musky reproductive status (DNR mapped): Self-sustaining via natural reproduction (Cat. 1)

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.

2026-2027 retained fishing rules: 19 published rows for 19 species; effective through 2027-03-07. Check current DNR rules.

Water and setting

• Field-measured summer Secchi clarity: median 15.8 ft from 38 samples, latest sample 2025-08-04
• Satellite clarity estimate: 12.48 ft (2017) — a remote-sensing estimate, kept separate from field measurements
• Lake directory clarity class: Very Clear

Official DNR depth map (PDF) — Historical lake map; not for navigation. Link checked 2026-07-16.

• AIS record: Banded mystery snail — Verified, latest documented 2009-09-04
• AIS record: Eurasian watermilfoil — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 2009-07-01
• AIS record: Flowering rush — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 1989-08-16
• AIS record: Phragmites (non-native ecotype) — Verified
• AIS record: Zebra mussel — Verified, latest documented 2020-10-19

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: Nicolet National Forest (USDA FOREST SERVICE); ≈31.8% of shoreline buffer
• Shoreline development (landcover proxy, 2025 source): ≈11.7% developed land within 300 m, ≈1.6% impervious
• Road proximity (TIGER proxy, 2025 source): nearest local road or city street ≈7 m; ≈3.5 km of road per km² within 1 km

• Resource water (NR 102): Outstanding Resource Water (ORW) — NR 102.10(1m)10
• Mapped critical habitat: 1 sensitive-area polygon — ≈0 ac (≈0% of lake area), partial-waterbody scope
• Priority Navigable Waterway — basis: musky area, outstanding/exceptional resource water

Designations are legally defined DNR records shown as their sources state them; no composite rating is implied.

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.