The clarity of Elkhart Lake’s water was extraordinary! From the Osthoff Resort balcony overlooking picturesque Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin, I was eager to fish this new, crystal-clear body of water. I had never been to Elkhart Lake but had heard a lot about it. I walked down to the pier, where several pontoon boats were neatly tied to the dock for guests to rent or enjoy with a chauffeur. As I made my way along the pier, I couldn’t help but marvel at the lake’s remarkable clarity. The bottom was as visible as if there were no water at all.

Our fishing escapade wouldn’t happen for a few days, however, and in the meantime, we were able to check out what else the Elkhart Lake Wisconsin area had to offer.

First up, lunch, and a quick nine holes at the Quit Qui Oc Golf Course. During lunch with Rachel and Todd Montaba—Rachel, a U of Madison golf team member and now Ladies Golf Pro, and Todd the General Manager and Director of Golf, explained that their 27-hole course featured three competitive, nine-hole courses set within over 250 acres of the hilly topography of the Kettle Moraine.

As an LPGA professional, Rachel also described their Ladies Learn to Golf program. This golf course is very lady friendly and is ideal for couples and foursomes to enjoy the wooded and picturesque valleys of Elkhart Lake. Todd placed us before their Women’s Golf Club lessons and said that we wouldn’t have anyone pushing us, as the ladies were scheduled for a quick lesson before their round. The course plays a little long due to the hills and valleys, but this also makes it an extremely fun and challenging course to play.

After we finished our round, it was off to the recently renovated Siebken’s Hotel. New owner’s Rob and Wendy Orth have put a lot of investment into the hotel to make the resort a first-class, historical retreat. With comfortable accommodations with hotel units; completely furnished condos with kitchenettes; 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units, plus a pool, jacuzzi, complimentary coffee and grab-n-go breakfast station, restaurant, bar and live music in their bandstand area, this landmark offers everything from relaxing surroundings to warm hospitality, delicious cuisine and exciting nightlife.

From there, it was off to the lake for a pontoon boat tour of Elkhart Lake. As mentioned earlier, the water is extremely clear and was recently ranked the third-best lake in the country by USA Today Reader’s Choice. The nearly 300-acre lake posts no-wake buoys about 100 yards from shore, nearly around the entire lake. Most houses are built into the shoreline, tucked into the treeline, so the lake looks uninhabited except for the docks.

At 119 feet deep, the lake holds virtually every species of freshwater fish, from panfish to bass, crappies, walleyes, northern pike and muskies. We hit the weather perfectly—mostly in the 70s with a very slight breeze—ideal for a night outing on the lake. As we drove around the lake, I couldn’t help but look for bass beds in the crystal-clear water; not seeing anything led me to believe that the spawn was over.

After a 4-course meal at the Osthoff Resort, just across the street from Siebkens, we were off to bed since the next day was to be just as full exploring the rest of Elkhart Lake’s treasures.

First on the agenda was a couple’s massage at Osthoff’s Aspira Spa. The Osthoff is another historic property and an ideal place for resort-style vacationing. A rather huge compound, the Osthoff has similar features of Siebken’s, but on a much grander scale. With its own spa, cooking school, kids camp services, pools, jacuzzis, restaurants, historical elements, private beach and spacious grounds, the Osthoff is a vacation destination in itself. As it was right next door to our hotel, it was extremely easy to utilize both properties and their fabulous amenities.

The Osthoff’s Aspira Spa is a miraculous, wellness escape from the everyday trials and tribulations of daily life. It is recognized as one of the top 100 Spas of 2025 by Spas of America. The spa draws inspiration from the lake’s calming water and surrounding landscapes, and highlights wellness traditions with signature services like their Sacred Waters Massage, Cedar Massage, along with customized facials, body treatments, and personalized rituals.

This was only the second massage of my entire life, and after the relaxing and invigorating massage, I had to wonder why I haven’t taken advantage of more of them.

After our spa outing, we were off to do some local hiking. The Ice Age trail winds through the entire state of Wisconsin. The Elkhart Lake area of Wisconsin hosts some of the best examples of landforms created by glaciers, and we walked through trails of canopied trees, Kettle Moraine landforms, and listened to birds and nature.

After the Ice Age trail, it was time to sample some of Elkhart Lake’s local wines and cheeses. Elkhart Lake’s Vintage Winery is owned and operated by Jaclyn Stuart, an award-winning certified sommelier who is very knowledgeable about wines and offers tastings and friendly conversation. The store hosts craft beer, spirits, cheeses and chocolates, vinegars and olive oils in addition to trying various wines—both whites and reds.

Of course, after a spa, hike, and some wine, we were obviously hungry and had to sample dinner at the Lake Street Café. This mom and daughter establishment did not disappoint, and the restaurant, with both outdoor and indoor dining opportunities, along with a creative décor, served up some excellent dishes.

Our second day in Elkhart Lake was just as fun-filled as the first. And now, our third day was on to the fishing the next morning. We met up with local guide Jay Brickner. Jay picked us up right at Osthoff’s Resort dock and started describing the multi-species fishery of Elkhart Lake. I was excited to catch something and was hoping for the best. Our limited time only allowed two hours of fishing, but in that time, we managed to fish a few different types of structure, from weedy shorelines to steep drop-offs.

Jay primarily uses live bait due to his mainly recreational customers, and hooked us up with leeches and nightcrawlers on medium-light rigs with 6-pound-test line. Our simple rig consisted of fluorocarbon line with a round sinker placed about a foot and a half above a number 4 hook. “Just cast it out, let it sink, pump the rod, and reel in slowly,” he offered. By slowly pumping the rod tip and reeling in slow, you felt the tap of a bite, and then only needed to set the hook. We wound up catching about six bass—both smallmouths and largemouths variety—with the largest coming in at about 18 inches. We also saw a muskie in the 30-inch range cruising the shoreline in search of prey. The clarity of the water made it extremely fun to watch the fish not only strike our baits, but fight all the way to the boat.

After our fishing excursions, we made our way to another prominent Elkhart Lake feature destination—Road America. Racing has been a staple of the Elkhart Lake area since the early 1950s. The streets of the town were once the home of open-road racing. You can still trace the original turns and raceway on the Elkhart Lake streets.

With the banning of open-road racing across the state, Road America was formed, and today hosts many of the top racing circuits in the country. Road America today sits on 640 grassy acres in the rolling, wooded hills of Elkhart Lake and offers a wide variety of year-round activities, from go-carting to UTVing, kids activities, hospitality and corporate adventure programs, geo-caching, motorcycle and driving schools, along with watching one of the country’s longest road racing circuits.

We participated in go-karts as well as driving on one of their UTV trail rides, and spent the afternoon learning about the history and diversity of one of the world’s fastest, permanent road racing tracks.

If you get a chance to experience Elkhart Lake’s ideal outdoor, family, and corporate vacation destinations, I highly recommend it. Just go to ElkhartLake.com for more information.