Lake Ovid is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 located within Sleepy Hollow State Park

Sleepy Hollow State Park

Sleepy Hollow State Park is a state park located off US-27 in Ovid Township and Victor Township, near St. Johns and Laingsburg, Michigan. Located at 7835 East Price Road, the park contains many miles of hiking, biking, and horse trails as well as a medium-sized man-made lake known as Lake Ovid...

, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, which was created in 1974 when a dam was built to block the Little Maple River

Little Maple River

The Little Maple River is a tributary of the Maple River in the central part of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It rises in Victor Township, Clinton County at the outlet of Cedar Lake. It flows through Sleepy Hollow State Park which surrounds Lake Ovid. Lake Ovid was created by...

. Lake Ovid is a shallow lake with an average depth of ten feet. The deepest areas of the lake do not exceed thirty feet.

Many freshwater fish live in the lake including 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...

, 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...

, Bluegill

Bluegill

The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...

, Rock Bass

Rock bass

The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...

, Crappie

Crappie

Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...

, Channel Catfish

Channel catfish

Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...

, 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...

(Muskie), and Northern Pike

Northern Pike

The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...

. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor and accepted by the Natural Resources Commission...

(DNR) has been monitoring the fish population annually and has determined that the smaller species of panfish have been reproducing prolifically and future stocking is going to focus on Muskellunge and Catfish. These predatory species have plenty to eat in the lake and an increase in their numbers will bring a balance to the ecosystem

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....

.

A boat landing is available at no charge to anyone with a Michigan State park sticker on their vehicle and is located on the west side of the lake. A "no wake" policy is enforced on the lake in order to maintain a peaceful fishing and boating environment. Many anglers choose to propel their vessels using electric trolling motors which allow for stealthy approaches to fishing locations and wildlife viewing. Canoes and pontoon boats are available for rent from the park.

The dam, which holds back the Little Maple River

Little Maple River

The Little Maple River is a tributary of the Maple River in the central part of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It rises in Victor Township, Clinton County at the outlet of Cedar Lake. It flows through Sleepy Hollow State Park which surrounds Lake Ovid. Lake Ovid was created by...

, is about thirty feet in height, over one thousand feet in length and is constructed of earthen mass. The drainage area encompasses over ten square miles.

http://www.michigandnr.com/ParksandTrails/Details.aspx?id=495&type=SPRK