Lakes

Natural Lakes

Natural lakes are popular, both because of their great fishing and for their beauty. There are three types of natural lakes for the fisherman, warm water lakes which support Large Mouth Bass, Spotted Bass, White Bass and Stripers, cold water lakes which hold trout and salmon, pike and grayling, and two story lakes which support both cold water and warm water species. The great lakes like Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are very large and very deep. Because of this, they have both tiers, the cold depths and shallow basins. The shallower basins support the warm water fish like small-mouth bas and walleyes while the deeper parts support salmon and trout.

Lake Ontario, a natural lake, is a popular place for sport and commercial fishing in Canada. This lake is the smallest of the 7 great lakes and is primarily fed by the Niagara River of Lake Erie. During the fall, runs of king salmon and cohos while spring and summer offer salmon, steelhead. Because of this lakes great depths, 802 at the max, there are plenty of lake and brown trout. While fishing from the shores will catch you fish, joining a chartered vessel allows you to experience seize some of the larger catches.

Alpine Lakes

High alpine lakes stay cold throughout the year from snowmelt. Alpine lakes often offer clear waters and a variety of trout species such as brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout.

Warmwater Lakes

Warm water lakes such as Clear Lake featured here support a variety of gamefish such as Largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill, even carp. Clear lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in California. Its mucky and weeded shorelines make a great habitat for feeding and laying eggs.

Artificial Lakes and Reservoirs

Man-made lakes are created by damming rivers, streams and creeks. Their purposes are several fold, from flood control, maintaining and regulating water supplies, generating electric power and of course, for recreational purposes. These lakes differ from natural lakes in many ways. Water levels are constantly fluctuating based on the time of year. They are usually drained in the fall to make room for spring runoff. Because of this, fish are forced to move and adapt to their changing environment. This also explains why aquatic plants are not as abundant in these types of lakes, because they have less time to thrive. A typical artificial lake is have huge canyon reservoirs with deep cold waters. They are usually long and narrow, winding with the canyons. Shorelines are steeply sloped. These lakes are great for supporting a variety of trout, largemouth bass and striper species.

Lowland reservoirs and flatland reservoirs are located in swampy areas or flat terrain. These lakes are usually less than 50 feet deep. Typically these waters support largemouth bass, white bass, crappies, sunfish and catfish.

Lake mead is a huge artificial lake being born with the creation of the Hoover Dam in 1935. Being fed by the roaring Colorado River, lake mead has 28.5 million acre feet of water and 550 miles of shoreline. This popular boating spot also contains a large fish population sporting trout, bass, catfish, crappie, striped bass, and other gamefish.