Lake Mendota

Dane County, Wisconsin

OverviewFacts & Figures

Physical Characteristics

Surface Area (Acres)9,781
Maximum Depth (ft)83
Mean Depth (ft)42
Shoreline (miles)—
Bottom Composition29% sand, 29% gravel, 2% rock, 40% muck
Water Clarity — Secchi Depth (ft)—
Trophic Status—
Drainage BasinDRAINAGE
Lake Classlake
Public Access—
Township—
GPS Coordinates43.10500° N, 89.41990° W
WBIC (DNR ID)805400

Fish Species

8 species documented

AbundantCommonPresentRare
SpeciesAbundanceLast Survey
PanfishAbundant—
CatfishCommon—
Largemouth BassCommon—
Northern PikeCommon—
Smallmouth BassCommon—
WalleyeCommon—
MuskyPresent—
SturgeonPresent—

Boat Landings

10 landings

NameTypeRampTrailersFee♿
Lake Street Boat RampRAMP—0NoNo
Governor Nelson State Park Boat LandingRAMP—Gr25YesYes
Tenney Park Boat RampRAMP—16-20YesYes
Willow Drive Boat LaunchRAMP—1-5NoNo
Middleton Boat RampCARRY-IN—6-10YesYes
Governors IslandCARRY-IN—0NoNo
Spring Harbor Park Boat RampRAMP—1-5YesNo
Mendota County Park Boat LaunchRAMP—0NoYes
Marshall Park Boat RampRAMP—Gr25YesYes
Warner Park Boat RampRAMP—Greater than 25YesYes

Invasive Species

Invasive species have been documented in or near this lake. Please clean, drain, and dry all watercraft and equipment before leaving to prevent spread.

SpeciesStatusFirst Detected
Chinese Mystery SnailConfirmed—
Curly-Leaf PondweedConfirmed—
Eurasian Water-MilfoilConfirmed—
Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica)Confirmed—
Rusty CrayfishConfirmed—
Spiny WaterfleaConfirmed—
Zebra MusselConfirmed—

Data sourced from Wisconsin DNR lake surveys. Last scraped: 4/30/2026.