Fishing Pleasant Lake

Pleasant Lake offers exceptional panfish action with bluegills ranking in the top 25% statewide for abundance and yellow perch in the top 8 out of 160 surveyed lakes. Bluegills show excellent size structure with 56% reaching 6+ inches, and their growth accelerates dramatically after age 2 when they switch from nearshore vegetation to open-water Daphnia feeding. The yellow perch fishery is outstanding with rapid growth (+1.4 growth index) and 89% of fish at legal size. Bass fishing has improved since the 10-inch minimum size limit was implemented in 2002 - while harvest increased on 10-13 inch fish, the number of trophy bass 14+ inches increased from 0.01 to 0.17 fish per minute of electrofishing effort. However, bass growth remains slow at 1.6 inches below state average by age 4. The lake's oligotrophic status with 11-foot Secchi depth and dissolved oxygen good to 27 feet creates excellent habitat. Pleasant Lake's two basins reach 48 and 53 feet deep with steep drop-offs, while 47% of the lake is less than 15 feet deep providing extensive shallow habitat. Marl substrate dominates nearshore areas with organic bottoms offshore. The diverse predator community includes spotted gar as the dominant biomass contributor, plus longnose gar with five fish exceeding 32 inches for Master Angler qualification. Northern pike are growing exceptionally well but their reproduction status is uncertain. Spring seeps along the west basin help maintain stable water levels at the court-ordered 851 feet above sea level. The lake supports 23 fish species total with good forage base of shiners and minnows.