| Ahmic Lake | |
|---|---|
| Dam near Ahmic Lake Resort | |
| Location | Parry Sound District, Ontario |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 19 km (12 mi) |
| Surface area | 3.52 km2 (1.36 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Shore length1 | 69 km (43 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 279 m (915 ft) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Ahmic Lake is part of the Magnetawan River waterway in Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada. It is well marked for navigation. There are many spots where rock shoals extend into the lake then plunge to depths of 20 to 25 m (60 to 80 feet). Much of the lake has steep shorelines with overhanging dead wood and rock outcroppings. The most popular species for anglers on the lake are walleye and pike, although smallmouth bass are prolific and also are pursued for sport. Ahmic Lake is approximately 19km long and connects to two smaller lakes, Neighick (nicknamed Beaver Lake) and Crawford Lake.
Around the beginning of the 20th century, a number of fishing camps where built on Ahmic Lake, including Cedar Croft which stayed in business until the late 1950s. Much of the land around Ahmic Lake was purchased around the same time and has been kept intact over the years, making Ahmic a lake with only moderate shoreline disturbance or alteration.
There are several reasons many people know about Ahmic Lake. Two of the main ones are the existence of two world class swimming camps, Chikopi, the boys camp and Ak-O-Mak, the girls camp. Chikopi was the world's first competitive swim camp. [1] . The two camps are directly across the lake from each other and to get from one to the other by water one paddles past Rocky Reef [2]a very exclusive tourist peninsula owned by a few American families. The tourist industry and the two swim camps are what kept the young people and adult residents in the small town of Ahmic Harbour employed for many decades and still contributes to the economic well being of the area. Ahmic Harbour is located at the tip of the small bay of Ahmic Lake on highway 124.
Ahmic Lake was an ideal lake for the two swim camps due to the clear water and a size that allowed for training of marathon swimmers such as Marty Sinn.[3]