Osterhout Lake

I've fished here every season since 1978 and I believe the fishing has declined a bit the last couple of years.But the lake is still a good place to boat a nice musky or bass and the panfish always is consistently decent.

I've been fishing this lake since 1985 and I'm a little worried that the fishery is declining. In the '80s I caught many 4-5lb class largemouth but they have really been scarce the last few years. The lake has been invaded by Eurasian Water Milfoil and the homeowners simply can't tolerate it despite the fact that it only grows in certain areas and offers excellent habitat for fish. The lake homeowners association has been having the lake chemically treated twice a year for several years now and its' full of dead rotting weeds for most of the summer months-This can't be good for the fishery. Also, forget about trying to fish it on summer weekends between Memorial and Labor Day-you know why. The lake contains largemouth, musky (both hybrid and true), assorted panfish, bullheads, monsterous carp, the odd northern, and at least one 15lb plus flathead. There is a spillway at the south end and the outlet eventually flows into Lake Michigan. I sometimes see salmon and steelhead below the spillway in the fall/winter months. My personal bests from this little lake are a 21"largemouth, 36" tiger musky (ice fishing), 32" carp (speared) and a 14" crappie.