Porcupine Lake (Florence County)

Waterbody ID (WBIC): 590800 — permanent page /lakes/590800/.

Porcupine Lake is in Florence County; records show 36 acres and DNR fish-frequency records.

Size

36 acres

Lake type

SEEPAGE

Max depth

20 ft

• 2 fish species/groups with abundance categories (DNR lake page)
• Summer Secchi clarity median 10.5 ft (field measurements)

Back to results Show on map Check current DNR regulations

Plan your visit

• Lake directory: public landing — No
• Lake directory: public beach — No
• Lake directory: public park — Yes

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

• LAUTERMAN SOUTH TRAILHEAD — Trailhead; ≈5 km from the lake shoreline (straight line).
• RIDGE TRAILHEAD — Trailhead; ≈5.2 km from the lake shoreline (straight line).
• CHIPMUNK RAPIDS — Campground; ≈5.2 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); fee charged. Official USFS page
• ASSESSORS TRAILHEAD — Trailhead; ≈6 km from the lake shoreline (straight line).
• LOST LAKE — Campground; ≈6.1 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); fee charged. Official USFS page
• 9 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 2 fish species/groups with abundance categories — categories are source labels, never a population count.

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

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

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 10.5 ft from 18 samples, latest sample 2024-08-18
• Satellite clarity estimate: 11.73 ft (2017) — a remote-sensing estimate, kept separate from field measurements
• Lake directory clarity class: Very Clear

No official DNR depth map is published for this lake.

Not published in the lake directory: official mean depth.

• AIS record: Purple loosestrife — Verified, latest documented 2009-06-01

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); ≈36.7% of shoreline buffer
• Shoreline development (landcover proxy, 2025 source): ≈1.6% developed land within 300 m, ≈0.3% impervious
• Road proximity (TIGER proxy, 2025 source): nearest local road or city street ≈36 m; ≈1 km of road per km² within 1 km

• Priority Navigable Waterway — basis: lake under 50 acres

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)
• Fishing regulations (normalized snapshot)
• Directory access facts (landing, beach, park)
• Satellite water clarity estimate
• Field-measured Secchi clarity
• 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.