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Fish Lake is connected to Mud Lake (22 ha) via a culvert. For a brief period prior to 1963, the culvert was raised above the lake levels , but was again lowered in 1963 to enable northern pike and largemouth bass to utilize important spawning areas in Mud Lake. Public access on the west shoreline of Fish Lake was developed in 1960. Two resorts of about 60 dwellings are located immediately adjacent to Fish Lake. Most of these dwellings are in a mobile home park on the north side of the lake. The sewage disposal system comprises a large tile-field. Although not documented , State Department of Natural Resources files indicate failing or inadequate septic systems may exist on this lake. Fish Lake is managed for largemouth bass, northern pike, panfish, and a remnant cisco population. In the past, the pike, cisco, and bass pop- ulation have exhibited excellent growth; the panfish populations have been slow growing, as often occurs in lakes dominated by macrophytes. The cisco population was doing well in 1960, but since this species requires colder waters, the development of an almost completely anoxic hypolimnion in recent years (to be discussed later) has not been favor- able for the successful survival of this species. Because of the early success of the cisco, rainbow trout were stocked in 1960 but the establishment was not successful due to slow growth and poor survival . In 1968 and 1969, walleyes were also stocked , but their survival was also poor. Fish Lake is a moderately fertile, stratified lake. Representative temperature and dissolved oxygen data (1976) are presented in Figures 20 and 21 . Generally, ice break-up occurs in late March or early April . The lake mixes until around mid-May when thermal stratification begins. The lake often does not have a long enough spring turnover to completely saturate the water column with dissolved oxygen. By mid-July the hypolimnion becomes anoxic. Fall turnover occurs from mid-October through November; dissolved oxygen concentrations are replenished through- out the water column before the lake freezes. The lake exhibits no tendency to winterkill . Dissolved oxygen concentrations have been depleted in the hypolimnion since 1959, the earliest data available.* Stauffer (1974) reported similar data for 1972. Unfortunately, no information is available to assess the rate of oxygen depletion in the hypolimnion during the 1950' s and 1960's when the cisco population was flourishing in Fish Lake. Increased eutrophication would create a greater oxygen demand, causing the hypolimnion to be void of oxygen for longer periods of time, thereby adversely affecting the cisco population. The nutrient data indicates that Fish Lake is at the upper part of the mesotrophic range. Total phosphorus concentrations in surface waters are generally between 20 and 50 ug/1 during the summer months. Concen- trations are between 50 and 110 ug/1 during spring and fall turnover. * Fish management files indicating a dissolved oxygen profile taken in July of 1959. B-101