Otsego Lake

Walleye and muskellunge water; 2 stockings on the 2026 record.

Otsego County · Michigan · see it on the national map

Water right now 3.69 ft gage height USGS gauge 445512084415301 (OTSEGO LAKE NEAR GAYLORD, MI) · 2026-08-28 17:00

2 stockings 2026

Jun 2 last stocked

1,244,621 fish reported

2,013 acres (NHD)

The year here

stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details

What swims here

Walleye 1 stocking

Muskellunge 1 stocking

Stocking record 2026

Date	Species	Size	Fish	Status
Apr 22	Walleye	fry	1,244,000	completed
Jun 2	Muskellunge	adult	621	completed

Getting on the water

Access point	Type	Notes
Otsego Lake State Park	boat ramp	Recreation Passport required · accessible facilities

Access points from the Michigan DNR boating access inventory. Ramps, fees, and hours change; check before towing a boat a long way.

Gear for this water

It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.

For the walleye (walleye stocked 1 time here in 2026, stillwater)

Jigging raps and blade baits	vertical over deep structure in the cold months
Jig and minnow	1/8 to 1/4 oz round jigs tipped live or plastic; drag the bottom slowly
Crawler harness	slow-trolled over flats and breaks once water warms

For the muskie and pike (muskellunge stocked 1 time here in 2026, stillwater)

Oversized landing net	a stocked muskie fishery deserves a proper release tool
Heavy casting rod	7.5 to 9 ft heavy with 65 to 80 lb braid; these fish punish light gear
Large bucktails and gliders	big profile baits; finish every cast with a figure-eight

Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.

Nearby stocked waters

The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.

Water	Distance	Most recent
Heart Lake	4.1 mi	Apr 16
Big Chub Lake	4.5 mi	Apr 16
Bridge Lake	4.9 mi	Apr 30
Big Lake	6.7 mi	Jun 9
North Blue Lake	14 mi	Apr 20

Records from Michigan DNR (official page). Placement from USGS GNIS and the National Hydrography Dataset. Schedules change without notice. Seasons, limits, and licenses: Michigan fishing regulations.