Seymour Lake

Seymour Lake

Seymour Lake – Originally named after Simon Seymour a local aboriginal who grew up alongside this lake with his family.

This lake is a seriously wasted opportunity as a direct result of selfish land owners around the lake who do not want the public using this lake. I do not know if the comments regarding greedy land owners still applies but it was due to them the lake was never rehabilitated. It would be really great if we could get some forward movement on fixing and resolving the problem, along with a new problem created by a landowner/s that allowed yellow floating heart (Nymphoides peltata) into the lake compounding the problem of public usage of this lake for fear of spreading this invasive species. The best solution is the temporary termination of using water from the lake by land owners and the injection of Rotenone to get rid of the (squawfish) also known as pike minnow. Benthic barriers could be placed in the lake to control the yellow floating heart, but would required goverment funding to implement.

To date the NDP Goverment has used the “Let’s not talk about the lake” if it is not talked about we do not have to fix it solution. However I repeat a massive tourism opportunity is lost by the head in the sand approach.

This lake was stocked 1956-1988 with Rainbow trout. The last biophysical inventory/assessment was done in 1983. School District 54 did a study on fish species in this lake in 2018. In 1977 an audit was done using a gill net showing the lake contained mostly cutthroat trout and some rainbow trout as the only non-coarse fish in this lake. These fish were both male and female able to breed. Also of note was in a 1974 inventory the presence of  Cutthroat Trout (anadromous) as well as regular Cutthroat Trout  and Rainbow Trout. This meant Steelhead Trout at some time entered the lake via the creek that is now blocked by beaver dams. (See below for species found in this lake)

 

There is ample land to accommodate public usage of this lake that has never been utilized, again due to landowner pressure. At present there are about 30 landowners bordering the lake itself. The effort to remove coarse fish was also stymied by local landowners who fought the use of retenone and it appears any will to remove and rehabilitate the lake was met with resistance for local land owners. However this is the perfect lake if it can be cleaned up and stocked with Rainbow or Brook Trout especially for local seniors who are unable to hike into lakes to participate in ice fishing. Most of the residents in Smithers now all travel to Ross Lake in Hazelton when we have better lakes in Smithers sitting as wasted opportunities. Its time the overall interests of the community of Smithers and surrounding area superseded the interests of a few landowners around the lake. There is also Round Lake but due to its size and field fertilizers has never been a lake of choice for most residents.

On that note

Facilities:

  • Warf: No
  • Boat Launch: No
  • RV Friendly: No
  • Tables: No
  • Toilets: No
  • Fees: No
  • Campsites: None
  • Not Maintained
  • Google Earth KML  Seymour Lake (note unzip first)

 

Fish Species: Prickly Sculpin, Largescale Sucker, Longnose Sucker, Peamouth Chub, Northern Pikeminnow, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout and Redside Shiner

 

As the absence of rehabilitation is the number one problem with this lake, so we are going to provide you with the reports and recommendations that local land owners blocked, the time is now. before there are more land owners to protect this lake from more degradation by human population, or the benefit of all vs that of the few. Its time we return this lake to its true potential as per this report from 1977 that seems to have been intentionally buried. There are two reports one in 1977 and another in 1978 we will include both of them.

1977 Report

seymour_lake_survey_may_1977

1978 Report

reconnaissance_report_seymour_rehabilitation

 

 

 

 

Below are Bathymetric Maps:

Seymour

Directions:

Photos and Video

 

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