Lake of the Woods
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| Lake of the Woods | |
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| Coordinates | |
| Lake type | remnant of former glacial Lake Agassiz |
| Primary sources | Rainy River Shoal Lake Kakagi Lake |
| Primary outflows | Winnipeg River |
| Basin countries | Canada, United States |
| Max length | 110 km |
| Max width | 95 km |
| Surface area | 4,350 km² |
| Shore length1 | 40,000 km / 104,600 km (with islands) |
| Surface elevation | 322 m |
| Islands | 14,552 |
| 1 Shore length is an imprecise measure which may not be standardized for this article. | |
Lake of the Woods (French: lac des Bois) is a lake occupying parts of the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. It separates some land in Minnesota, the Northwest Angle, from the rest of the United States so it can be reached from the rest of Minnesota only by crossing the lake or going through Canada. The Northwest Angle is the northernmost part of the United States outside Alaska.
Lake of the Woods is fed by the Rainy River, Shoal Lake, Kakagi Lake, and other smaller rivers. The lake drains into the Winnipeg River and then into Lake Winnipeg.
Lake of the Woods is over seventy miles long and wide, and contains over 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles (105,000 km) of shoreline — the longest coastline of any Canadian lake (although it is not entirely in Canada).
The lake's islands provide nesting habitat for the endangered Piping Plover and large numbers of American White Pelicans. There are also several hundred nesting pairs of Bald Eagles in this area.
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[edit] Governance
As an international body of water, the lake's water levels are regulated and controlled by the International Lake of the Woods Control Board, part of the International Joint Commission. As early as 1912 water levels were a matter of concern. The governments of Ontario and Canada formed a board of control in 1919.
A treaty between Canada and the United States, known as the Lake of the Woods Convention and Protocol, was signed in 1925 and established elevation and discharge requirements for regulating Lake of the Woods based on the IJC recommendations. The joint Canada-Ontario Board of Control continued to exist and retains responsibility for regulating normal water levels (maximum 1061¼ ft or 323.47 metres, minimum 1056 ft or 321.87 metres). Only when water levels exceed these levels are they referred to the international board which consists of two engineers: one Canadian and one American.
[edit] Communities near the Lake of the Woods
- Angle Inlet, Minnesota
- Baudette, Minnesota
- French Portage Narrows, Ontario
- Keewatin, Ontario
- Kenora, Ontario
- Middlebro, Manitoba
- Minaki, Ontario
- Rainy River, Ontario
- Sioux Narrows, Ontario
- Warroad, Minnesota
[edit] Islands in Lake of the Woods
[edit] The Aulneau Peninsula
The largest land feature in Lake of the Woods is the Aulneau Peninsula. It is connected to the mainland with a tiny neck of land at its southeast corner, but a canal (Turtle Portage) was cut through at this point, effectively making the Aulneau an island. The canal has now been filled back in, but a manually run portage for small to medium sized boats is in its place. The Aulneau is approximately twenty miles long and ten miles wide, and contains within it over eighty lakes, the largest of which is Arrow Lake.
The Aulneau Peninsula was named after the Jesuit Father Jean-Pierre Aulneau, a French Catholic priest, who was killed 6 June 1736 on Lake of the Woods. The Catholic Church in Warroad, Minnesota, is named Father Aulneau Memorial Church after him.
[edit] Other islands
- Big Island
- Bigsby Island
- Oak Island, Minnesota
- Flag Island, Minnesota
- Penasse Island, site of American Point, formerly the most northern point and the most northern post office in the United States
- Magnuson's Island, site of the restored Fort St. Charles
- Copeland Island, otherwise known as Camp Stephens. A Winnipeg YM-YWCA summer camp.
- Massacre Island, a small island in the middle of the lake where 20 French men as well as a group of Cree traders were beheaded in the mid 1700s by Sioux. The site is marked by a large wooden cross at the shore of the island. This incident sparked decades of war between the Sioux and the Ojibway, allies of both the French and the Cree.
[edit] Recreation on the Lake of the Woods
Tourism is a large part of the local economy of the Lake of the Woods, and there are many recreational opportunities available on the lake and in the surrounding countryside. Much of the lake is fairly remote, but resorts and equipment outfitters offer options for those who do not have access to their own boats and equipment.
[edit] Camping
Minnesota's Zipple Bay State Park offers a wide variety of services including campsites, toilet facilities, a marina with access to the Zipple River, and a beach. Minnesota and Ontario both offer state sanctioned parks and campsites, which can be located through the respective governments. Backcountry campers can locate a prospective campsite on the Lake of the Woods by boat, landing and examining the site in person. There is prevalent wildlife even on the small islands on the lake, so it is a good idea to take precautions against bear and cervids. Numerous marinas and resorts on the lake provide houseboat rentals, nautical charts, camping and fishing advice, and expert knowledge on how to most enjoy the lake.
[edit] Fishing
The vast size and terrain of the Lake of the Woods provides many fishing environments and opportunities. The lake is best known for its abundant walleye population, which can be caught with a variety of methods in all conditions. The most common is to jig with light to medium tackle in anywhere from thirty to forty feet of water. Popular set-ups include a simple jig, a jig with a plastic hair grub, or a simple spinner lindy-rigged to a slip sinker. Live bait is preferable for this method. Minnows are especially productive, but worms and leeches can also catch pike in certain conditions. Lake perch can be caught with this method as well.
A second approach is to troll the shoreline in about 10 to 15 feet of water with a diving lure. A rattling lure or a mid-range diving lure is best. This will catch perch, especially in a little deeper water or near underwater terrain, but will also net bass, northern pike, and muskellunge. The proper speed depends on the conditions and location, but usually around 2 to 6 knots is a good starting point.
For those interested in advanced pike fishing, the Lake of the Woods is excellent. One hundred thousand miles of shoreline offers a lot of great pike habitat. The best way to cover a lot of shoreline is by moving along the shore and casting a pike lure into the shallows.
Lake of the Woods is also known as a world-class muskellunge fishing lake.[citation needed] Whitefish Bay is known to have a healthy muskie population.
[edit] Boating
Although boating is inherent with any activity on the lake, it can also be enjoyed as its own recreation. Whether a slow trip searching for wildlife around some small islands or ripping down the sunset channel, it is always enjoyable to experience the lake from a boat. A trip to Kenora for lunch brings one through an area of the lake riddled with cabins of unique architecture. Here you can take an aerial tour by floatplane, shop, eat, or take the dogs for a walk.
Another way to enjoy boating is through water sports. Some people are turned off by the relatively cool temperature of the lake and seasonal algal blooms.[citation needed] For those who do not mind these issues, the lake offers vast expanses of deserted open water for waterskiing, tubing, or wakeboarding.
