Bonnechere Valley Councillor Merv Buckwald wants to see Golden Lake stocked with trout, noting recently an announcement was made about stocking Round Lake and it is time something was done to help Golden Lake. 

“Fishing on Golden Lake is terrible,” he told a committee meeting of council last Tuesday afternoon. “Can we join with North Algona Wilberforce (NAW), Pikwakanagan, the whole watershed on this?”

He pointed out he was reading about the stocking of Round Lake recently and while that is a positive development, action needs to take place on Golden Lake as well and this is the perfect opportunity.  

“It is polluted with smelt,” the councillor pointed out. “It has to be fixed.”

Councillor Brent Patrick suggested council reach out to both NAW and Pikwakanagan to see if they are interested in pursuing this jointly. 

“The fishing in Golden Lake is terrible because it is polluted with smelt,” Coun. Buckwald said.

When Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski was the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), Coun. Buckwald said he tried to get some action but nothing was done. 

“I tried to get the Golden Lake Property Owners involved when Yak was Minister of Natural Resources,” he said. 

However, to his dismay nothing happened. 

Coun. Buckwald said dealing with the smelt issue by introducing lake trout is the way to go.
“Lake trout’s favourite food is smelt,” he said. 

When he was in Oshawa in the 1970s, lake trout was introduced into the lake to deal with the smelt and it was a tremendous success, he said. It could also be successful in Golden Lake, he believes. 

“We need trout to feed on smelt,” he said. 

While the MNRF may say the lake is not deep enough for lake trout, Coun. Buckwald said this is not the case. 

“If you talk to old timers, it was a trout lake,” he said. 

Having the lake stocked would deal with the issue, he stressed. 

“We need to do something about it,” he said. “I did not even put in a boat last year.”

Mayor Jennifer Murphy said she knows the current minister of Natural Resources, Minister Graydon Smith, and would contact him immediately to begin discussion on the situation. 

By Debbi Christinck, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Original Published on Jan 18, 2023 at 08:47

This item reprinted with permission from   The Eganville Leader   Eganville, Ontario

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