Lake Nipissing

Known to the Ojibway people as Gichn-bee or `Big-water' Lake Nipissing is the 4th largest lake in Ontario.
With a surface area of 330 square miles, Lake Nipissing has an average depth of only 4.5 m and a maximum depth of 173 feet (52 m) located near the mouth of the French River.
Mean summer temperatures of the water in July and August are 20 - 22 Celsius.
Lake Nipissing was discovered' in 1611 by Etienne Brule opening up an indispensable east-west route for travelers of the fur trade.
Normally kept between 195.75 and 195.95 m above sea level, the lake can be drawn down as much as 1.5 m during winter in preparation for spring melt-off.
The long fetch (extent of open lake across which wind blows) and orientation towards the prevailing winds of Lake Nipissing make it prone to developing waves very quickly. The calm glass-like surface of Nipissing can be transformed to thrashing white-caps within minutes.
Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser flavins) was commercially harvested from the lake for nearly 100 years. Harvesting stopped in 1990 due to drastic declines in sturgeon numbers.
5% of all angling in Ontario occurs on Lake Nipissing
To augment the Lake Nipissing walleye fishery, the South Shore Tourist Agency started a walleye jar hatchery in 1984.
Tagging studies indicate that walleye do not stay in one area. A 9 year old walleye tagged on April 30, 1995 was caught 33 km from its tagging site on June 3, 1996.
The 1985 provincial Angler Survey estimated that 69,800 adult resident and 9,100 adult non-resident anglers fished Lake Nipissing representing over a million angler hours.
The entire water volume of Lake Nipissing turns over by natural means every three-quarters of a year.

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