Otsego Lake (Michigan)

History

Otsego Lake was the long-time summer residence of Arthur Compton. Compton received the Nobel Prize for physics in 1927 for his work with X-rays and what later became known as the "Compton effect". During World War II, he was a key figure in the Manhattan Project that developed the first nuclear weapons. In the late 1950s, noted American architect and Frank Lloyd Wright protege, William Adair Bernoudy, designed Compton's retirement home on the lake directly across from Otsego Lake State Park.

Dimensions

Otsego Lake is 1972 acre, and 5 mi long and 1 mi at its widest. In general, it is a shallow lake averaging about 6–8 feet in most places, with a maximum depth of approximately 23 ft in a few spots. The bottom shoal composed of sand and light gravel forms many "drop-offs" and holes. The lake is full of vegetation which is submerged at the bottom of the lake with very little floating vegetation.

Lake activities

There are an abundance of boats that frequent the lake during the busy times of year which bring along many skiers and boarders, as well as many tubing activities. Fisherman can also be seen scattered throughout the lake as well as the occasional seaplane.

Fish

The following fish can be found in the lake and are subject to fishing:

• Muskelunge
• Lake Sturgeon
• Northern pike
• Largemouth bass
• Smallmouth bass
• Rock bass
• Bluegill
• Yellow perch
• Pumpkinseed sunfish
• Walleye

References

References

1. {{gnis. 634159
2. Bill Granlund. (April 15, 2002). "A step back in time: Atomic bomb decisions made in Otsego County". Petoskey News.
3. "Otsego Lake". Michigan Interactive.
4. [https://www.lakelubbers.com/otsego-lake-1643/ ''Otsego Lake, Michigan, USA''] at lakelubbers.com (retrievedm 9 October 2021)
5. ''Michigan - Northwest Region Fishing Map Guide''. Sportsman's Connection, 2016, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=DzFdCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA100 100-101]