The Golden Lake Fish Fry
Join us at Red Pine Camp on Island View Drive on May 19th for our annual Fish Fry! We’ll be serving walleye, smelt, French fries and coleslaw from noon to 4 pm — or a hot dog and a pop for $5 — with a beer tent courtesy of our friends at Whitewater Brewing, and live music from Casey & Co from 1 to 4 pm. There will be door prizes! Adult admission is $2o and kids are $10 if you get advance tickets at the Golden Lake Variety store before May 12, or by emailing brianyourth@gmail.com (adult admission at the door is $25 and kids age 12 and under are $15 at the door). There’s a childrens’ fishing derby prior to the Fish Fry from 11 am to noon for kids up to the age of 16 — pre-registration is required, as there’s a limit of 50 kids, and you can register by emailing d1964@sympatico.ca.
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 CBC covers GLPOA’s Walleye project
The CBC interviewed Jay Foran, Dr. Peter Heinermann, and Don Bishop about GLPOA’s Walleye rehabilitation plan. Click here for the full story, and if you want to listen to the audio of the interview, you should be able to hit play on the embedded media players below and listen to them — there’s a national CBC version and a local story (or you can watch the video here). More details on the project, and information about the fish-stocking history of Golden Lake, can be found on our Fish Committee page, along with bios of Jay, Don, Peter, and other members of the GLPOA fish committee who are spearheading this plan.
National story
Local story
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).
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.
Visit us on Facebook
See what your friends and neighbours have to say!
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
