Golden Lake Regatta
Come and join us on August 17th for the Great Golden Lake Regatta! Paddle your canoe, kayak, or standup paddleboard from Island View Drive boat launch to Red Pine Camp and back (a distance of approximately one kilometre). There’s also a shorter paddle of 100 metres for homemade boats (there’s info on the rules and criteria for those here). The event starts at 9 am with a pancake breakfast to benefit the Enaji Madinamage (Sharing Place) Food Bank, followed by a check-in for the regatta at 11 am. Registration is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Brought to you by GLPOA, North Algona Wilberforce and the Water & Dirt Festival.
Register by filling out the Google Form here (click on the poster image below for a larger version)
Scavenger Hunt
Play our annual scavenger hunt with your kids and win ice cream for the whole family from the Cottage Cup! If you didn’t get a chance to pick up a carton and entry form at the GLPOA annual general meeting, you can get one at the Pharmasave in Golden Lake (there are only a hundred kits available so don’t wait!) or send an email to sylvia.hillier1@icloud.com. Click on the image to see a larger version
Safe boating guide
Click the image below or click on this link to see a copy of Transport Canada’s guide to safe boating, which has all the laws and requirements related to piloting your watercraft around Golden Lake (right-click on the image or the link and then choose “save as” from the popup menu to download a copy to your own computer).
Feedback for the MTO
As some of you may already know, the Ministry of Transportation has proposed making a significant change to the main intersection in Golden Lake. There are several proposals on the table, which you can see here, including creating a new intersection with traffic lights or a roundabout further to the west. All of the proposals involve blocking off the current highway access to Kokomis Road, the gas station/store and the Cottage Cup, and replacing it with a cul-de-sac accessible either from Kokomis Road or from the new intersection to the west. There have been two public information sessions in which residents learned more about the options and provided feedback. The MTO is asking for comments via email at Hwy60LakeDoreRd@dillon.ca or through a comment form on the project website.
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See what your friends and neighbours have to say!
Follow us on Instagram
We’re on Instagram! If you want to see pics of some of the great events and other cool things happening at the lake, follow us there — and if you post your photos to our Facebook page (which is here), you might see them reposted on Instagram (if you’d rather we didn’t do that, please let us know at glpoainfo@gmail.com).
Fishes of Golden Lake prints
We’ve taken delivery of the “Fishes Of Golden Lake” prints we’ve been talking about for awhile, and they are available for your cottage, home or as a gift for a loved one. They are available in 3 sizes in colour or in black and white. These are limited edition numbered prints digitally created and signed by our very own Dr. Peter Heinermann, co-chair of the fish committee. This is designed to raise both funding and awareness for GLPOA’s project to rehabilitate the walleye stocks in Golden Lake, so think of your purchase as a donation to the cause. The three sizes are: 18” X 24” for $85.00, 11” X 17” for $60.00, and 8 ½” X 11” for $40.00.
Prints are available for pickup either in Golden Lake from Don Bishop, at the Cottage Cup or Grass Roots Healing, or through Dr. Peter Heinermann in Ottawa, and you can pay by e-transfer when you order, or by cash when you pick them up. We also have mugs available, so you can admire the fish we have in our lake while relaxing with your favourite beverage, they are $20 each. If you have any questions, or to place your order, you can contact Don Bishop or drop by the retail outlets mentioned, or email glpoainfo@gmail.com. Thanks to Dr. Heinermann for all the work he put into these!
The Walleye Rehabilitation Program
As many Golden Lake residents are probably aware, the Walleye population in our lake has deteriorated significantly since the 1980s. Efforts by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry over the past few decades have not produced any measurable changes in this situation. The single biggest reason for this is that Rainbow Smelt, currently the most abundant species in the lake, feed on Walleye fingerlings, so they never reach maturity. Stocking the lake with 2-3 cm Walleye just gives the Smelt more to eat.
The GLPOA fish committee — co-chaired by Don Bishop, a longtime resident of Golden Lake with years of expertise in aquaculture research, and Dr. Peter Heinermann, who has a PhD in fish biology — has come up with a plan to revive the Walleye population in our lake, a plan that has received the support of the MNR, Pikwakanagan, and Round Lake, as well as provincial representatives.
More details can be found in this PDF presentation, as well as this backgrounder, which outlines the plan in more depth. There is also an Excel spreadsheet with details about the fish-stocking history of the lake. These and other documents related to the Walleye Rehabilitation Program can also be found on our Fish Committee page, along with bios of Don, Peter, and other members of the GLPOA fish committee. Here’s to a future of great Walleye fishing!
Ontario Fishing Regulations
The Ontario government has come out with the latest Fishing Regulations overview, which is useful reading for anyone interested in dropping a line into Golden Lake, or anywhere else for that matter. You can find a PDF of the report here, or you can read it online at the Ontario government’s website. It’s got information about fishing licences, open seasons and catch limits, as well as up-to-date fishing regulations for each fishing zone, and there are also some updates to the list of permitted bait fish.
An overview of fish in Golden Lake
Dr. Peter Heinermann, who has a PhD in aquatic biology and is now co-leading the fish committee for GLPOA along with Don Bishop, gave a presentation at the AGM in 2022 where he went through all of the major species of fish that can be found in Golden Lake. Click here to view a PDF copy of the presentation or click the image below.
Fish Surveys Requested
Don’t forget to fill out a Fish Survey… get a copy by clicking here. Then take a photo of the completed survey and email it to glpoainfo@gmail.com. For more information on this program, click here.
Help Wanted
For more information about any of the roles below, please contact us at glpoainfo@gmail.com
- Canvassers needed! We have an urgent need for new canvassers, all around the lake and river. If you are interested in joining the GLPOA team, meeting your neighbours, and helping the GLPOA continue delivering on its mandate, please email glpoainfo@gmail.com for more information.
Upcoming Events
Coming soon: A Golden Lake Regatta — paddle boat, canoe, kayak and homemade boat races based at Island View Park on August 17th, as part of the broader Ottawa Valley Water and Dirt Festival — pre registration coming soon at www.wateranddirt.ca
Hydro One rate class changes
Seasonal rates no longer exist — click here or click on the image below for more information on changes to Hydro One’s power rates that might affect you
Changes to fishing regulations
There have been changes proposed for fishing regulations and fish-stocking strategies in Zone 15, which includes Golden Lake and the Bonnechere River. Click here or click the image below for more information from the co-chairs of the GLPOA Fish Committee, Don Bishop and Dr. Peter Heinermann
