Ottawa Lake

Ottawa Lake is a named lake in Waukesha County with the available water data listing about 17 acres and a maximum depth of 16 feet, which is the first thing I would want to know if a buddy asked me about this place.

A quick look at the water

I would keep the first trip pretty simple by putting the first hour into the best bank cover, any obvious weeds, and the deepest water I can reach and I would take a couple of bites in one type of water over a dozen pretty spots with no life.

Recorded fish species

On the species side, Ottawa Lake currently has Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Walleye, and Yellow Perch on record; and that makes me think first about weeds, wood, rock, or docks for bass and points, breaks, and wind-pushed edges for walleye, and make the first hour useful instead of random.

My basic approach

If we were fishing Ottawa Lake together, I would keep the first hour organized enough that a bite actually teaches me something, then I would confirm the current rules before the first fish ever comes over the side.