Olson Lake

How big is Olson Lake?

How deep is Olson Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Olson Lake?

What are the closest cities to Olson Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Olson Lake?

Olson Lake was rehabilitated for stream trout management in 1961, and has been managed as a designated stream trout lake since that time. Management goals for the lake, from the current (2018) lake management plan, are to maintain a minimum Rainbow Trout trap net catch of 0.75 fish/set, with some fish over 14 inches present. This was not a scheduled survey under the 2018 plan. Because the winter of 2017-18 had been harsh and long, we conducted winter dissolved oxygen testing on Olson Lake, where at least one past partial winterkill was suspected to have occurred. When the results of that testing suggested a winterkill was a possibility in 2018, this follow-up targeted survey was done to determine whether there had been any over-winter survival of stocked trout, and to collect some additional information on late-summer temperature-oxygen conditions.

Winter testing on 12 April at three sites found dissolved oxygen levels of less than 2 ppm just under the ice at all locations, with oxygen levels under 1 ppm at greater depths. Although other signs of winterkill were not observed (no dead fish, no hydrogen sulfide smell), it seemed that at least a partial winterkill could have been possible.

Follow-up testing on 22 August, using a single over-night graduated-mesh monofilament gill net set, captured two Rainbow Trout that had been stocked in the fall of 2017. Netting results gave no indication of abundance; they merely confirmed some over-winter survival. They did not rule out a partial winterkill.

The temperature-oxygen profile measured on 22 August found conditions suitable for Rainbow Trout (water temperature <= 70 F, dissolved oxygen > 5 ppm) from the surface to a depth of 10 ft. At the testing site waters were stratified, but dissolved oxygen in colder waters below the surface layer was too low to support trout (or fish of any kind). Surface water temperatures may already have begun to cool going into the fall, but it seemed likely that even earlier in the summer, some waters suitable for Rainbow Trout would have been present.

Are there any state parks near Olson Lake?