Lake Chemong
Encyclopedia
Lake Chemong, or Chemong Lake, " is a lake
8 km NW of Peterborough, Ontario
near the town of Bridgenorth. The lake extends from near Fowlers Corners north to near Curve Lake. Lake Chemong has a length of 14 km and a width of 1 km.
Communities along and near the lakeshore include Bridgenorth, Selwyn on the east, and Ennismore on the west. There is a causeway
which crosses the lake, connecting Bridgenorth and Ennismore by road. This causeway is called the James A. Gifford Causeway.
Chemong Lake is part of a tri-lake water system consisting of Chemong Lake, Buckhorn Lake
, and Pigeon Lake
. The tri-lake area is host to several popular fishing tournaments throughout the open fishing season. The most common game fish in the lake are smallmouth bass
, largemouth bass
, walleye
, yellow perch
, Carp
, Muskellunge
as well as a number of Panfish
. Commercial and recreational fishing
has caused the introduction of Zebra mussel
s, which change the ecosystem by filtering the water and making it clearer. Some fish, such as Walleye, dislike the clear water and have become less abundant.
Chemong is also a part of the Kawartha lakes
water system and the Trent-Severn Waterway
.
There are a number of small islands on the lake, including Big Island (actually is located on Pigeon Lake), Goat Island and Kelly Island. Most of the islands have cottage
s or are commonly used as impromptu campsite
s. Rocky shoals surround these islands, boaters should approach with care.
Although still commonly called 'Chemong Lake', the official spelling has been changed to the more accurate 'Chemung' at the request of members of the local native
community. The name means "Mud Lake", referring to the swampy conditions of the area before it was intentionally flooded during the creation of the Trent-Severn Waterway
.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
8 km NW of Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
near the town of Bridgenorth. The lake extends from near Fowlers Corners north to near Curve Lake. Lake Chemong has a length of 14 km and a width of 1 km.
Communities along and near the lakeshore include Bridgenorth, Selwyn on the east, and Ennismore on the west. There is a causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
which crosses the lake, connecting Bridgenorth and Ennismore by road. This causeway is called the James A. Gifford Causeway.
Chemong Lake is part of a tri-lake water system consisting of Chemong Lake, Buckhorn Lake
Buckhorn Lake (Ontario)
Buckhorn Lake is a lake in the townships of Galway-Cavendish and Harvey and Smith–Ennismore–Lakefield in Peterborough County, Ontario, Canada, and is one of the Kawartha lakes.The primary inflow is from Pigeon Lake through the Gannon Narrows at the west...
, and Pigeon Lake
Pigeon Lake (Ontario)
-References:*...
. The tri-lake area is host to several popular fishing tournaments throughout the open fishing season. The most common game fish in the lake are smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
, Carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, Muskellunge
Muskellunge
A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...
as well as a number of Panfish
Panfish
A panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an edible game fish that usually doesn't outgrow the size of a frying pan. The term is also commonly used by anglers to refer to any small catch that will fit in a pan, but is large enough to be legal. However its definition and usage varies with...
. Commercial and recreational fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
has caused the introduction of Zebra mussel
Zebra mussel
The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is a small freshwater mussel. This species was originally native to the lakes of southeast Russia being first described in 1769 by a German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in the Ural, Volga and Dnieper rivers. They are still found nearby, as Pontic and Caspian...
s, which change the ecosystem by filtering the water and making it clearer. Some fish, such as Walleye, dislike the clear water and have become less abundant.
Chemong is also a part of the Kawartha lakes
Kawartha lakes
The Kawartha lakes are a band of lakes in south-central Ontario, Canada that form the upper watershed of the Trent River. The lakes all lie upon the boundary between the Paleozoic limestone regions of the Golden Horseshoe, and the Precambrian granite Canadian Shield of northern and central...
water system and the Trent-Severn Waterway
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
.
There are a number of small islands on the lake, including Big Island (actually is located on Pigeon Lake), Goat Island and Kelly Island. Most of the islands have cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s or are commonly used as impromptu campsite
Campsite
A campsite or camping pitch is a place used for overnight stay in the outdoors. In British English a campsite is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using tents or camper vans or caravans; this British English use of the word is synonymous with the...
s. Rocky shoals surround these islands, boaters should approach with care.
Although still commonly called 'Chemong Lake', the official spelling has been changed to the more accurate 'Chemung' at the request of members of the local native
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
community. The name means "Mud Lake", referring to the swampy conditions of the area before it was intentionally flooded during the creation of the Trent-Severn Waterway
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
.