Death of a Lake

[aniceguy]

How Man Killed A Lake

The sad demise of lake Eugenia

The lake was man-made in the early 1900s as a reservoir for a hydro-electric dam on the Beaver River built in 1912. In 1913, the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario bought 1,900 acres (7,700,000 m²) of land from farmers. This land was then cleared and flooded. After being flooded, the edge of the water was full of twists and turns with bay and inlets. Beginning in the 1950s, the lake became very popular amongst locals as a get-away. Soon cabins were built along the edge of the lake and word began to spread. Beginning at the end of the 1900s, cabins began to develop into cottages. These cottages are usually large and grand. When the lake began to grow in popularity, fishers, swimmers, boaters and naturalists began coming in droves for holidays.

I recall my father speaking to visiting the lake shortly after his arrival into Canada in the late 50’s, he talked about its utter lack of people on it other than the local’s. He bought a 57 crest liner and although with great difficulty he would manage to launch it in the lake. As a young man I spent many a day at the lake enjoying it for its clarity and fantastic swimming and awesome fishing.

Over the years I spoke to many people including my dad who all spoke to the lakes cleanliness, its great fishing, because back then it was literally teaming with browns and rainbow trout, there were largemouth in it but no one really targeted them, they weren’t the dominant species. It wasn’t an issue of if but when you were catching dinner, many back then deemed it a sustainable fishery. Sadly it more than likely wasn’t as these browns and rainbows while still there, your chances of a 6/49 draw are better, chalk one up to man starting to kill a lake. Its small size just couldn’t handle the pressure, and the bass now could get a bigger foothold.

 

Wikipedia lists it as the following

Eugenia Lake attracts recreational fishers both local to the region and those visiting due to the range of fish in the lake. The main species of fish that can be caught in the lake include Rock and Largemouth Bass, Perch, Sunfish, Pike and Bullhead catfish. Unfortunately, these fishers and boaters have brought invasive species into the lake, namely the zebra mussel which is now throughout the lake and considered a major problem. Back before the lake became inundated with cottages, the main species was trout. If you got a bite, it was only a question of was it a Brown or Rainbow. In the 60's someone must have dumped a bait bucket, because Rock Bass appeared by the thousands. On the opening day of Trout season, the MNR would put a couple of 45 gal. drums on the causeway bridge, and by the end of the first day they were both overflowing with Rock Bass. Hawthornes Cabins at the south east corner of the causeway, would rent you a rowboat for $1.00 a day, and fishermen could rent a cabin for $1.50 a night. You were always assured of a good feed of Rainbow Trout at the end of the day.

It only confirms what I have heard over the years. For many years the lake was a quiet get away that was a true hidden gem. Fast forward to the 80’s, the trout are virtually gone (some will argue the point but my experience and research says they vanished.)

There was a massive upright stump field at the back where the black river emerged, I’ve been told stories of and personally experienced how it wasn’t a matter of if but when you would get bit by a big largemouth, 5 pound green fish were virtually guaranteed on a day trip to the lake. The trout were gone and the bass fishing rivaled anything out there, all in a hidden undisturbed oasis. The water was clear the cabbage was as green as green could be and healthy, I would set a minnow trap as a young man and in the morning would have dozens of crawfish and minnows to see. You would jig for perch and catch jumbo’s rivaling Simcoe or Erie perch in size, and even an uneducated angler like me would catch bass until I was sore by throwing a spinner bait across the top of the weed flats. Opening day for bass would see less than 10 boats parked and all had a fill of bass. The dam and causeways would rarely have a mass of shore fisherman. The lake was at its prime.

Back to the stump field, in the 80’s OPG required work on the dam that entailed dewatering much of the lake, the flats were emptied the shallow weeds died off and the cottagers in their infinite wisdom walked out and cut the stump field down, making it now laydown habitat. Due to its fertility the lake rebounded fairly quickly and it was back to its glory. For many years it remained a gem.

A while back the internet and an article in Ontario Out of Doors came out talking about the Lake and its great fishing. I didn’t think anything of it really until the next summer I went up, now it had and I counted 45 boat trailers parked. I recall visiting that summer on vacation and saw dozens of cars on the causeway and dozens more people fishing on the dam. I took my small kids to the dam and walked talking to people and watching their catch, what I saw appalled me.

A family had a bucket and it was filled with hundreds of 4 inch fish, I recall my young son ask “what are you going to do with those” the answer “fish soup” I also saw full limit stringers at the launch consistently the fishing pressure and habitat change I knew was something the lake won’t survive I knew right then and there that the lake was doomed. Chalk another one up to man killing a lake.

The following year I again fished it, and as I went to the bank I saw these fairly large cruising fish, I thought it strange to see bass like that and the size threw me off. When I looked closer it wasn’t bass but common carp I saw, it was another step to this lakes demise. Largemouth and carp just don’t co-exist great, and the carp have a tendency to displace the bass, yet I continued to enjoy this lake, although it was now pressured with anglers it still was a magical place.

I didn’t fish bass tournaments back then but one day I was at the boat launch leaving and I saw a bunch of bass boats and a weigh in, having never experienced it I watched and was amazed at just how many really big fish were in the lake, I came to understand that 5 fish for 20 pounds was possible and was accomplished many times, love the lake was all I thought, little did I know what was about to happen in the years to come.

Let’s fast forward a few more years, I arrived one opening day to a parking lot overflowing with traffic, I launched my boat and went fishing. I noticed that the cabbage wasn’t as abundant as before with lots of bare spots in the lake, and I noticed that the once crystal clear lake now had sediment in it, again I though nothing other than the fishing was getting tougher and the fish were smaller, but what really shocked me was the hammering and sawing, the replacement of quaint cottages was being replaced with 3000 sq foot plus mini mansions and the abundance of larger carp everywhere.

There was an MNR boat on the lake that day doing a survey and I asked what’s up with the carp, they promptly stated it was another invasive species that was introduced, more than likely by a bait bucket. With no natural predator they said it will get worse before it gets better, caulk another one up to man.

You see as we know carp uproot the substrate of a waterway, as a result aquatic vegetation can’t take hold, and a sediment load is created, cabbage sadly can’t handle a larger sediment load on its leaves, photosynthesis cant occur and death occurs, with that death aquatic animals living on the bottom slowly die off to lack of habitat. Much of the dead cabbage has now been replace by eel grass that still retains its scrub and clings to bottom and a metamorphosis starts to occur. The good part is that now the lake has zebra mussels and I was told a goby was caught; ohh joy caulk another one up to man for the new invasive.

Let’s talk about the last 4 years of the life cycle of Lake Eugenia.

Consistent angling pressure, phosphate load from the cottages, invasive species, habitat loss, have all had a drastic effect on this small lake. Today we see the cabbage all but gone, we find very few smaller bass, yes there are still some large big bass in the lake but a troubling sign when year classes of fish disappear, what is left does get larger, but their life span is limited. Very little smaller fish are left, the smallmouth that began to colonize have vanished this year suckers now swim with their course fish relatives.

We see a sediment load that reduces clarity and visibility, we see zebra mussels on what weed is left, once where there were weed flats the size of a football field now have been reduced to postage stamp sizes of clump weed that is dead or dying. Carp the size of small ships cruising the shallows, perch that have all but disappeared and a general lack of life in the lake as you cruise the shallows. The metamorphosis is almost complete; caulk another one up to man.

What promoted this was that sadly I spent my last ever vacation on the lake recently and saw these massive changes, as I always have I set a minnow trap to show my kids the various fish, and other life on the lake, once upon a time it was full with life, now it was empty, no crawfish, no minnows nothing, and that’s what prompted this. We as humans have altered a lake and pressured it in all ways possible in a short span of time we have helped to kill a lake. I know some will argue it is only evolving, like it did when the trout disappeared and that eventually the eco system will rebound, my only question is what does it rebound to?

 

 

 

 

[BillM]

Still trout in the river that flows into Eugenia

[NAW]

It's a man made lake... Made for man to use and abuse. It was bound to happen.

 

no offense, but I feel more angry about lakes like 6-mile, and the thousands of other natural lakes that have been severely abused in the past 100 years.

[4x4bassin]

Thanks for the read , pretty sad . I fished Eugenia years ago but have not been there since , sad to see what it looks like now but I can only imagine . I have been fishing a backwoods bass lake for years and just have discovered a lot of the surrounding land was bought up by a developer and they intend to build a "cottage complex" on it . I am not looking forward to this because I am afraid my once quiet oasis will become a lake like you describe above and full of jet skis .

[highdrifter]

Shame... That's "progress" for ya..

 

Still trout in the river that flows into Eugenia

 

Oh Bill... Always the optimist. Gotta admire that!

[Headhunter]

My parents took many weekend get aways to the LAke in the 80's. They loved to fish that lake and concentrated on Perch. Many a feed of perch from that lake.

Too bad it has worked out that way... hopefully mother nature finds a way to reclaim the lake.

Thanks for the post.

HH

[fish_finder]

Even worse is that the lake is slowly destroying the cold water fishery downstream. The Beaver River is now a hot tub from the hydro facility down to the confluence with Mill Creek. There it cools for a short distance and warms up once again. I've fished the area for over 30 years and watched its demise. Between that old hydro facility, the polluted and invaded lake and the rape of the water table in Feversham, the river is doomed.

 

The dam/lake also destroyed what would have been one of southern Ontario's most spectacular waterfalls. Eugenia Falls. This time of year, barely a drop of water goes over the falls, and the old stream bed that was once the Beaver River proper is all but dry as a bone. The Beavers main trib in its upper reaches, the Boyne River is also on its way out. I've watched the water level on that stream drop 3-4 feet over the last couple of decades.

 

I can relate to your feelings of man destroying a lake, aniceguy, but in my opinion, the lake itself has done far more damage to the surrounding environment than what people have done to the lake.

[glen]

Yep it's dead. What lakes are we going to kill next. Work your way up the hiway from the city and you can see them.

[danklegrand]

It's sad. I learned to fish on Eugenia Lake.

My grandparents have had a small cottage on the side near the causeway since before I was born, and eventually retired there in 2000. I have dozens of childhood fishing pictures which were taken on this very lake, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. Of course as kids, we were happy to catch anything. Hours and hours fishing off the dock catching perch, sunfish and rock bass... Then as we got older we would venture out further in the canoe. I also have memories of BIG bass everywhere - now some of my favourite areas are completely choked out with dense weeds.

The "cottages" that have sprung up around the lake are astounding. What was once a quiet little lake with pontoon boats at almost every dock is now a whirlwind of wakeboard/ski boats and sea-doos...

[OhioFisherman]

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Na9-jV_OJI

 

[jimmer]

I didn't see anyone mention the brookies that were in there. There were some great size fish that could be caught ice fishing in the late 80's early 90's. I haven't been there in years, but think about that lake quite often. Now I know not to go back.

Unfortunately this is a trend that is happening far too often. Like you said there are many naysayers to lakes dying pr being abused, but I believe that it is a reality that we are going to have to learn to live with. People take way too many fish to eat (the law allows it) and when a gem is discovered, it doesn't take long for it to be negatively impacted with the information highway on the internet. Many more people are well educated on fishing techniques, so the fish are surely pressured more than in years past. Any lake within a couple hours of a big centre can have this happen.

We must adapt.

Sad

[misfish]

Never seen brookies,but did get rainbows through the ice. That was a hidden jem for years. WAS,is the word here.

Was a mega bass lake for large mouth back in the 70/80,s. The last time I fished it,the population wasnt anywhere near that.

 

I had the pleasure to fish it once with Milo about 8 years ago. It was a decent day,but like said,nothing like back in the day. It,s over populated and way over fished for a small lake.

[Rich]

I've seen it happen to so many small lakes

 

"My" childhood lake experienced the same changes. Recently they opened the dam. The lake is completely gone now. It's a stagnant 4" cespool. They figured that was better than the eroding shorelines silting in the lake.

 

On the other hand - promote the carp fishery. Putting pressure on THEM keeps the other fish in check, and alleviates pressure all around.

[wildeye rainbow]

Unfortunately, all man-made lakes/reservoirs change/die over time. They accumulate silt that otherwise would travel downstream; they stagnate the stream water and heat it beyond that it would be if it were just a stream or river.

 

We used to have a nice reservoir here in St Thomas at the Dalewood Dam. As a kid, I would catch pike, bass, crappie, perch etc. Now, it is silted in and is chock full of stunted carp and bullheads.

 

Sad, but it happens.

 

WR

[bdox]

So, does that mean you won't be taking Mike D. From Lunkerville back there again?

[Joey]

Well I'm an optimist too, and the fact that mankind is able to live on, cottage at and enjoy the lake is an important aspect too. As long as someone is enjoying it, that is a good thing.

 

Why not stock it? Start a fundraiser, get ahold of the MNR, see what you can do to make it more fishable with trout???

[fishindevil]

You just described the Kawartha lakes !!!!! It's happened here too they are nothing like they used to and favor more now to a warm water fishery !!!! That sucks for sure !!! And I have seen that happen to a lake in the Bancroft area and it just had lakers brookies and largemouth bass ,brookies were first to go lakers are so small and hardly caught very very few largemouth it's now been taken over by Rock bass in schools numbering In the thousands !!!!!! Too bad it happening all over you just have to look a little more the signs are everywhere !! It's the new normal now !!!! The ministry of no mistakes a.k.a the MNR does nothing about it !!!!! I know how you feel ..... Start stocking it again

[fishindevil]

You just described the Kawartha lakes !!!!! It's happened here too they are nothing like they used to and favor more now to a warm water fishery !!!! That sucks for sure !!! And I have seen that happen to a lake in the Bancroft area and it just had lakers brookies and largemouth bass ,brookies were first to go lakers are so small and hardly caught very very few largemouth it's now been taken over by Rock bass in schools numbering In the thousands !!!!!! Too bad it happening all over you just have to look a little more the signs are everywhere !! It's the new normal now !!!! The ministry of no mistakes a.k.a the MNR does nothing about it !!!!! I know how you feel ..... Start stocking it again

[danc]

It's a man made lake that was stocked with fish that didn't belong there in the first place from what I'm reading. An aquarium. You can put whatever you want in an aquarium as long as the conditions will support it.

[SirCranksalot]

Even worse is that the lake is slowly destroying the cold water fishery downstream. The Beaver River is now a hot tub from the hydro facility down to the confluence with Mill Creek. There it cools for a short distance and warms up once again. I've fished the area for over 30 years and watched its demise. Between that old hydro facility, the polluted and invaded lake and the rape of the water table in Feversham, the river is doomed.

 

It's a bit late to bemoan something that was done in 1913. The decline that you watched for 30 yrs must have been from other factors than the dam e.g. changes to other areas of the watershed.

 

The Eugenia plant was 1 of the first in Ont and supplied a big area at the time. But that was before central AC, TV, computers etc. It's our insistence on those things that's degraded many lakes. Pretty well all the S Ont lakes are dam controlled---Muskoka, Haliburton etc.---as well as many in N ont.

[grimsbylander]

I grew up on Lake Eugenia and lived between Hawthornes and Cedar Lodge. My grandparents vacationed there in the early 50's and eventually bought a cottage. Back then a cottage was a one or two bedroom, wooden clad building with a oil stove and an outdoor water well you had to prime first. My family bought a cottage and winterized it to make it a four season home. Oh yes, and moved the toilet indoors! I think I spent a million hours fishing off the causeway. Rainbows, browns and specks...lots of specks! Oh, and tons of rock bass! From what I've read over the last few years, I'm not in a hurry to go back. I want to remember the lake the way it was. That stump field was incredible! Cedar trees still standing 15' out of the water, super thick weed beds, and cool clean water. Gone? Sad for sure.

[Flippin-Jig]

It used to be a spectacular bass fishery. Crazy numbers and crazy big sizes. Another thing that does not help is bulletin boards like this. Although I love reading posts and get green with envy over many of the photos, if you have any honey-holes, keep them a secret. Don't mention where you were, keep your "gems" a secret.

[highdrifter]

Couldn't they just drain the lake and start over?!

[dhickey]

I my self find that the lake I grew up on is changing in a bad way and getting to the point of no return.

Without going on at great lengths about it. The pressure this lake is getting is insane.

My daughter got up at 6am Sunday to go fishing with me and out on the lake(large pond)was 5 other boats. Hmm

 

In a nut shell Way to much pressure.

 

So my thought was if we cant stop people from fishing than it only makes sense to reduce the catch limit or introduce 0 limit on designated "trophy" lakes.

 

I have watched this lake(I love to fish) go from lots of 4-5 pound bass with the odd 6-7 pound showing up over the summer.

 

The last 3 summers have produced nothing over 4 tops.

 

 

But the plain fact is that development trumps conservation and the MNR is spread way to thin.

 

To bad.

 

Don