Larks Lake: an unproductive marl lake and its effects on the fishery.

Abstract

Larks Lake is located in Emmet County, Michigan. It is a shallow lake with a surface area of 243.3 h; its deepest point is 2.4 m and it has a mean depth of 0.8 m. The watershed is small (surface area of 413 h). The lake is fed by spring outlets and it empties into Brush Creek, which at its mouth is six feet wide and six inches deep. This drains into the west branch of the Maple River, leading to Burt Lake. Larks Lake is sparsely vegetated with bulrush (Scirpus) and pondweed (Potamogeton), and the substrate is generally mucky and loose, composed of marl, sand, and organic material. The shoreline is currently populated with approximately 45 cottages, an increase from 23 in 1957. The residents of the area use the lake for recreational activities, including fishing, boating, and swimming. In recent years, residents have claimed a decline in the success of fishing and are concerned that numbers of game fishes are low. In particular, the population of Northern pike (Esox lucius) appears to have plummeted. Some attempts have been made to increase the lake's productivity and improve the status of the fishery. The lake was stocked with game fish between 1931 and 1945 and white suckers (Catastomus commersoni) were removed in the spring of 1980. These activities provided only temporary improvement. In view of the reported changes in Larks Lake, our objective was to conduct a limited survey to assess the factors affecting the status of the fish population.