Gun Lake (Michigan)
| Gun Lake | |
|---|---|
| Location | Barry / Allegan counties, Michigan, USA |
| Coordinates | 42°36′N 85°31′W / 42.600°N 85.517°W |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 2,680 acres (10.8 km2) |
 |
Gun Lake is a lake in the U.S. state of Michigan, located mostly in Barry County with the southwestern tip extending into Allegan County. Along most of the lake are numerous summer homes, cottages, and permanent residences. The Yankee Springs Recreation Area is based on northeastern portions of the lake. Gun Lake is the location of a State Park with a boat launch, two beaches, a campground, and picnic areas.
Features
Gun lake is shaped like a butterfly; it has two halves that are somewhat symmetrical and shaped like the wings of a butterfly. It reaches approximately 65 feet deep in one spot, while other bays never get deeper than 7 feet. In the Northwest corner is Robbin's Bay, a deep bay that is a popular fishing spot. In the southeast quarter is an island known as "Party Island" to the residents. On the weekends many boats gather there because of the shallow, sandy rim around the island. Its official name is Orangeville Island. Other than Robbin's Bay, popular fishing spots include Pickeral Cove, on the southern shore, on the left "wing" of the lake, Bairds Cove, and the many channels that protrude off the "butterfly" part of the lake. It is the popular tourist destination in the summer, but is said to be the most beautiful at the end, when only full time residents are there. Although many of the locals dislike the many visitors that come and go, the shops and businesses sprinkled along the shores and inland enjoy that time of year. In the winter, many activities play a part in the lives of people that live there, such and Winterfest, where events such as a polar bear dip take place, and ice fishing in also a common sight in the cold months. [citation needed]
Fishery
In the lake there are populations of Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Muskie, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Gar , Walleye, and Yellow Perch. Freshwater Crustaceans, known as Crayfish, also have some residency in the lake, and can be found in many of the shallows in the summertime as their young grow. [citation needed]
The lake is most famous for its large Walleye population, although according to the last Michigan DNR report in 1991, they only make up about 8.6 percent of the lake's fish. Bullheads are the most prosperous species in the lake, although many of the other species exists peacefully despite their lower percentage of existence. [citation needed]
Neighboring lakes
A number of other lakes are closely connected to Gun Lake. An inlet leads to nearby Payne Lake, and also to Fish rearing ponds. Another inlet leaks into the Gun River, which connects to Lake Michigan. The largest nearby lake is Long Lake. In recent years, a small cave was erected in the far west edge of the lake. It leads under the road, and is an easy gateway to get to Long Lake.
History
Famous bootlegger Al Capone is rumored to have lived in a cottage on a hill overlooking the southeastern bay of Gun Lake, with a grand guest house closer to the shore. These two homes are now part of Chicago Point Resort (see below) owned by the Strayer Family. A common game they liked to play was put their cars on the lake and see whose was the first to fall though, and this game took several months to complete because the ice got (and still does) so thick. This game is now modernized today when parts of the lake become like parking lots there are so many cars on it, although most of them are there to get their snow-mobiles on the ice and race them, not to lose their several thousand dollar Honda. At one point, the lake was five separate lakes, but with the building of a 5 foot dam, it created the Gun Lake that can be seen today. In its early days, the dam was exploded several times by farmers, angry that their land got flooded, but was re-built every time and the new one has been there for the past 30 years. One tour boat company chugged along the lake for several years as the Gun Lake Princess, and everyone could tell when the Princess was sailing, its long white exterior and roof to top it off with now windows was quite recognizable. It has since stopped running. [citation needed]