A preliminary study was carried out to find characteristics of microbial trophic relations in hypoxic waters of Lake Shihwa in May and August 1996. Abundances of bacteria, viruses, and heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) and HNF grazing on bacteria were measured. Dissolved O$_2$ (DO) saturation ranged from 13 to 34% in the bottom waters, and % of DO saturation strongly correlated with salinity. Ratios of HNF-to-bacteria abundance (42-118${ imes}$10$^{-5}$) and biomass (0.06-0.25), and ratios of virus-to-bacteria abundance (110-297) in the hypoxic water were similar to those found in the surface layer, indicating similar structures of microbial abundances and trophic functions in hypoxicand surface waters during the study period. In the hypoxic water, an energy flow from organic matter to bacteria to HNF might operate as equally as in oxic surface layer.