Star Lake is an exceptional lake in Vilas County in that it is both fairly large, and quite undeveloped. It is 1,213 acres in a horseshoe shape; the fact that it was named anything but horseshoe lake suggests that it was named by someone standing on its shore and not looking down from above, or viewing a good map. It has two bays, running southwest to northeast, connected at the southwest end.
There are three developed parcels on the lake: One at the northeast end of the north bay, a second on a peninsula on the north side of that bay, and the last the Star Lake townsite, at the northeast end of the south bay. All the other land, including the peninsula that divides the two bays, is owned by the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, Northern Highland area. There were three resorts on the lake, but one--Murphy's Housekeeping Cottages--was sold off in the 1970's; a second, Rizzo's Silver Muskie Resort, closed in 2005;and the third, North Star Lodge continues in operation.
The lake has been a good fishery, providing muskie, walleyes, bass, northern pike and panfish. In recent years an overpopulation of the invasive rusty Crayfish has severely reduced the weeds in the lake and consequently reduced its fish carrying capacity. Over the years it has been stocked with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and muskie.
The lake has an average depth of 15 feet, with a maximum depth of between 65 and 70 feet, reached in two deep holes. It has an inlet from Little Star Lake to the north and an outlet to Plum Lake in the south. It ultimately drains into the Wisconsin River and then to the Mississippi. Little Star Lake is the furtherest upstream the Wisconsin River watershed extends, the next lake north, Ballard, drains into the Manitowish, Flambeau, Chippewa river system. The lake directly drains an area of six square miles.
Charles Forbes
August 8, 2005
Note: The statistical data are from a Lake Survey of Star Lake, 1969, by the DNR. Copy in the "Star Lake File" at the Rhinelander DNR and in the files of Charles Forbes in Star Lake.