Lac Seul is a large, crescent-shaped

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

Kenora District Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The district seat is the City of Kenora. It is geographically the largest division in Ontario: at , it covers 38 percent of the province's area, making it larger ...

, northwestern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. It is approximately long. It has a maximum (regulated) depth of 47.2 m, with a surface elevation of 357 m above sea level. Its level is raised in the summer and then drawn down in the winter months to reach points of as low as 4.9 m below the maximum level. It is the second largest body of water entirely within the province of Ontario (

Lake Nipigon Lake Nipigon ( ; ; ) is a freshwater lake in Northwestern Ontario. Part of the Great Lakes drainage basin, it drains through the Nipigon River into Lake Superior. It is the largest lake entirely within the Canadian province of Ontario. Ety ...

being first). The lake consists of open-water bays, narrow channels, and islands. It is a relatively shallow lake with many rock shoals. This provides a good habitat for

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...

(also known as "yellow pickerel") and

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...

as well as

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill fr ...

. During the Lac Seul project of 1968-1972 no muskelunge were noted in the catches of research nets set over those years. Significant numbers of whitefish, tullibee,

burbot The burbot (''Lota lota''), also known as bubbot, mariah, loche, cusk, freshwater cod, freshwater ling, freshwater cusk, the lawyer, coney-fish, lingcod, or eelpout, is a species of coldwater ray-finned fish native to the subarctic regions of ...

perch Perch is a common name for freshwater fish from the genus ''Perca'', which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from , meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch (''P. fluviatilis'') ...

, fighting muskies, and

cisco Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, s ...

were noted as well, although they infrequently were noted in the sport fishery. Lac Seul is noted for offering some of the best fishing in Ontario. Lac Seul is located on the former lakebed of Glacial

Lake Agassiz Lake Agassiz ( ) was a large proglacial lake that existed in central North America during the late Pleistocene, fed by meltwater from the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet at the end of the last glacial period. At its peak, the lake's area wa ...

. Owing to this previous lake, much of the bottom of Lac Seul is covered with thick deposits of lacustrine silts and varved clay of varying thickness. The water of Lac Seul is tea colored. In clear water Walleye only feed at dusk and dawn because of their light-sensitive eyes, but because of the tea color of Lac Seul, it provides excellent Walleye and Northern Pike angling opportunities throughout the day. Lac Seul provides some of the finest trophy Northern Pike and Walleye and also provides access to the vast, practically untouched wilderness surrounding it. The numerous islands on Lac Seul are considered regionally significant calving habitat for the rare

boreal woodland caribou The boreal woodland caribou (''Rangifer tarandus caribou''; but subject to a recent taxonomic revision. See Reindeer: Taxonomy), also known as Eastern woodland caribou, boreal forest caribou and forest-dwelling caribou, is a North American subsp ...

. The natural capacity of Lac Seul is augmented by the diversion of water from the

Albany River The Albany River ( ) is a river in Northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Lake St. Joseph in Northwestern Ontario and empties into James Bay. It is long to the head of the Cat River (a tributary of Lake St. Joseph), tying it wit ...

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

at Lake St. Joseph, allowing hydroelectric stations at Ear Falls where the English River leaves the lake, and Manitou Falls, 30 km downstream, to generate 90600 kW of electricity.

History

In fur trade days, it was part of a canoe route west from James Bay: James Bay,

, Lake St. Joseph, portage, Lac Seul, English River (Ontario), Winnipeg River, Lake Winnipeg. Lac Seul, once a significant water transportation route, played a crucial role during the Red Lake Gold Rush, which began in late 1925 following the discovery of substantial gold deposits. The community of Hudson, Ontario, served as a key transportation hub due to its position along the railway line. From Hudson, supplies were transported via steamboats, scows, and tugboats across Lac Seul toward Red Lake, supporting the burgeoning mining industry in the region.

Nearby communities

* Ear Falls, Ontario *

Goldpines, Ontario Ear Falls is a Township (Canada), township located in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, on the banks of the English River (Ontario), English River, Lac Seul, Pakwash Lake and Wenesaga Lake. It is located along Ontario Highway 105, Highway 105, nort ...

Lac Seul First Nation Lac Seul First Nation is an Ojibwe First Nation band government located on the southeastern shores of Lac Seul, northeast of the city of Dryden, Ontario. Though Lac Seul First Nation is a treaty signatory to Treaty 3, the First Nation is a me ...

- Lac Seul 28 Indian Reserve * Lac Seul Post, Ontario *

Sioux Lookout, Ontario Sioux Lookout is a town in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 5,838 people (up 10.8% since 2016). Known locally as the "Hub of the North", it is serviced by the Sioux Lookout Airport, Ontario Highway 72, Highway 72, and the Sioux ...

Wabauskang First Nation Wabauskang First Nation is a Saulteaux First Nation in northwestern Ontario, and is a member of the Bimose Tribal Council and the Grand Council of Treaty 3 Grand Council of Treaty 3 (GCT3) is a political organization representing 24 First Nati ...

- Wabauskang 21 Indian Reserve *

Hudson, Kenora District, Ontario Hudson is an unincorporated place and community in the municipality of Sioux Lookout, Kenora District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lost Lake on the English River in the Nelson River drainage basin. History The National ...

Tributaries

* Vermilion River

References

Seul Hudson's Bay Company trading posts {{NorthernOntario-geo-stub

History

Nearby communities

Tributaries

See also

References