Staples Lake
Polk County, Wisconsin · WBIC 2631200
This lake has fishing rules that differ from the standard ones for its area. Check the official rules before you fish. Official regulations
Size
305 acres
Max depth
17 ft
DNR lake type
Simple, Warm, dark water color
A warm-water lake type: the DNR groups it with lakes that warm up through summer. This describes the lake type in general, not this lake in particular.
Outline
Numbered dots are boat landings; tap one for directions. The list below has the same numbers. Drawn from the DNR's 24K hydrography (surveyed 1982), so the shape is approximate and a landing can sit a little off the shore. Open the DNR lake map.
Water clarity (satellite estimate)
- Summer 20162.2 ft (1,376 satellite pixels)
- Summer 20171.9 ft (592 satellite pixels)
No one has measured this lake's clarity in the monitoring data. These are estimates from satellite images of two summers only, so they may not match the lake today.
Secchi depth is how far down a white disk stays visible. A bigger number means clearer water. The estimate tops out at 16 feet.
Landsat satellite estimates published by the Wisconsin DNR (summers 2016 and 2017), averaged over the lake's outline. Informational use only.
Water temperature
A typical year Modeled estimate
- Ice goes outabout Apr 16 (Apr 7 to Apr 25)
- Surface reaches 48°Fabout Apr 21 (Apr 18 to May 4)
- Surface reaches 64°Fabout May 23 (May 19 to May 28)
- June surface71°F, usually 70 to 73°F
- July surface78°F, usually 76 to 79°F
- August surface74°F, usually 72 to 76°F
Mixes regularly through the summer instead of forming a warm top layer.
A computer model of this lake's typical weather and water, built from 15 years, 2005 to 2019. Ranges show the middle half of years. The model was not calibrated against measured temperatures for this lake. It is an estimate, not a measurement.
Modeled: U.S. Geological Survey lake temperature data release (doi:10.5066/P9CA6XP8).
Today at the lake
Forecast: National Weather Service (no endorsement implied). Sunrise, sunset and moon phase are calculated. The moon phase can be a day off.
Stocking history
- Northern Pikelast stocked 2017 (large fingerling); stocked in 3 years since 2010
Stocking shows what was added to the lake, not what is in it now.
Wisconsin DNR annual fish stocking summary. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Fish recorded near this lake
- Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas1981 to 1984; 2 records
- Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus1971 to 1984; 5 records
- Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus1966 to 1984; 7 records
- Brown Bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus1979 to 1984; 3 records
- Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides1966 to 1988; 9 records
- Northern Pike Esox lucius1966 to 1988; 11 records
- Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus1966 to 1984; 4 records
- Walleye Sander vitreus1966 to 1988; 10 records
- White Sucker Catostomus commersonii1977; 1 record
- Yellow Bullhead Ameiurus natalis1981 to 1984; 2 records
- Yellow Perch Perca flavescens1966 to 1984; 7 records
Recorded in open fish survey and museum records (GBIF). A record shows a fish was found near this lake in that year, not that it is there now, and says nothing about how many. Most coordinates are rounded to about 1 km, so a record is attached only when one lake is the clear match.
Open fish survey and museum records from GBIF; datasets are listed on the sources page. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Boat landings
- 1Staples Lake Boat RampBoat ramp · Paved surface · County
Directions
Wisconsin DNR public boat access sites. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
More lakes in Polk County
- Highland Lake1.0 miles away
- Long Lake1.4 miles away
- Mud Lake2.5 miles away
- Mud Lake2.8 miles away
- Pipe Lake3.1 miles away
- North Pipe Lake3.4 miles away
Where this comes from
- Size, depth and lake typeWisconsin DNR lake classifications, checked Oct 23, 2026
- OutlineWisconsin DNR 24K hydrography, checked Oct 23, 2026
- Stocking historyWisconsin DNR annual fish stocking summary, checked Oct 23, 2026
- Regulations linkWisconsin DNR fishing regulations (linked, not restated), checked Oct 23, 2026
- Boat landingsWisconsin DNR public boat access sites, checked Oct 23, 2026
- Typical-year temperatureU.S. Geological Survey lake temperature model (modeled estimate), checked Oct 23, 2026
- Fish recordedOpen fish survey and museum records, via GBIF, checked Oct 23, 2026
- VHS statusWisconsin DNR VHS status by watershed, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Depth map linkWisconsin DNR lake maps list, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Satellite clarity estimateLandsat summer clarity estimates published by the Wisconsin DNR (2016, 2017), checked Oct 24, 2026
See data sources for what each source covers, and about for how the numbers are matched to lakes.
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