Scattered Rice Lake (Forest County)

Waterbody ID (WBIC): 555200 — permanent page /lakes/555200/.

Scattered Rice Lake is in Forest County; records show 428 acres and 1 DNR access-site record.

Size

428 acres

Lake type

DRAINAGE

Max depth

10 ft

• 1 documented public access site record (DNR access inventory)
• 3 fish species/groups with abundance categories (DNR lake page)
• Fish stocking documented through 2021 (DNR stocking records)
• Satellite clarity estimate 7.14 ft (2016)
• 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 — No
• Lake directory: public beach — No
• Lake directory: public park — Yes
• 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

• WABIKON LAKE BL — Boating site; ≈7 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈7.1 km from the associated access point (straight line).
• BIG JOE — Boating site; ≈9.8 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈11.5 km from the associated access point (straight line).
• LUDINGTON LAKE BL — Boating site; ≈11.4 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈11.3 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• BEAR LAKE — Campground; ≈12.8 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈14.3 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged. Official USFS page
• HIMLEY CA — Camping area; ≈13 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈12.9 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• 5 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 3 fish species/groups with abundance categories — categories are source labels, never a population count.

DNR fish labels: Largemouth Bass—Present; Northern Pike—Present; Panfish—Present; not population counts.

Stocking records: 9 documented events through 2021, 5,231 fish total. Species: Muskellunge And Hybrids (Occasional). Events in 2015 or later count as recent.

No fisheries survey population estimate is published for this lake in the covered report families.

• 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

• Satellite clarity estimate: 7.14 ft (2016) — 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.

Not published in the lake directory: official mean depth.

• AIS record: Phragmites (non-native ecotype) — Verified, latest documented 2022-05-10

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: Nicolet State Trail (Wisconsin DNR); ≈2.2% of shoreline buffer
• Shoreline development (landcover proxy, 2025 source): ≈26.1% developed land within 300 m, ≈9.3% impervious
• Road proximity (TIGER proxy, 2025 source): nearest local road or city street ≈0 m; ≈3.3 km of road per km² within 1 km

• Priority Navigable Waterway — basis: musky area

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
• 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.