Hoister Lake is a 23-acre impoundment located in the North Branch Cedar River drainage and in the Gladwin Field Trial Area in Gladwin County. The lake is a uniquely managed cooperatively by several divisions of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources; including Fisheries, Wildlife, Forest Resources and Parks and Recreation.

The lake and the surrounding areas are truly special and it has a popular campground within the Field Trial Area also. Fisheries Division maintains the lake and its control structure, and it also manages the waters in the Gladwin Field Trial Area.

In 2016 Hoister Lake's control structure began to fail so the various DNR divisions began working together on a planned drawdown with strong stakeholder support to repair the structure. This would allow Hoister Lake to continue to serve as an impoundment for recreation, rather than being lost.

The concrete in Hoister Lake's control structure had been deteriorating and the original wooden boards began to leak starting in the fall of 2016. Previous inspections suggested the concrete structure needed work, especially in the exposed air-water interphase areas, and the original stop logs were going to need a full replacement.

Due to the age of the structure it was also suggested to inspect the condition of the underground culvert to see if replacement was necessary. The design of the structure and culvert did not allow for safe camera inspection and therefore a drawdown was necessary for inspection and also any subsequent work. Fortunately, the inspection revealed the culvert to be acceptable.

During the impoundment's draw down the DNR knew sediment would be released downstream, so Trout Unlimited was consulted on the best approach and we've been working together on projects to mitigate sediment transfer and improve conditions.

The outlet from Hoister Lake is unique in that it has a bottom draw, which by design, will provide cooler water and support the North Branch Cedar River to be managed as a quality trout stream.

Staff located in the DNR's Southern Lake Huron Management Unit (Chris Schelb, Ryan Histed and Vince Balcer) orchestrated the repair of the cement stack and replacement of the boards. The DNR's Wildlife Division managed the timing of the refilling to protect seasonal animals while Parks and Recreation Division assisted in outreach and news releases to keep the public informed.

Because Hoister Lake has many natural springs flowing into it, there was a permanent flow and deep hole which remained filled though the entire process. The deep hole held plenty of fish, mainly bass and bluegill that will replenish the lake well into the future.

After the new boards were replaced in the beginning of May 2018, the impoundment only took two weeks to fill. After that Fisheries Division also stocked rainbow trout to provide an interim fishery until the resident fish population fully recovers.

Recreators who have a small boat, canoe or kayak and want to visit a secluded lake, maybe catch a rainbow trout or camp on the shore, may want to consider stopping by Hoister Lake.