Gun Lake is a
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, located mostly in
Barry County with the southwestern tip extending into
Allegan County
Allegan County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 120,502. The county seat is Allegan. The name was coined by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to sound like a Native American word.
Alle ...
. Along most of the lake are numerous summer homes, cottages, and permanent residences. The
Yankee Springs Recreation Area
Yankee Springs State Recreation Area is a state-managed protected area located in Yankee Springs Township in Barry County, Michigan.
The park is in area. It has 120 rustic, 200 modern and 25 equestrian camping sites, plus two cabins. There are ...
is based on northeastern portions of the lake. Gun Lake is the location of a
State Park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
with a boat launch, two beaches, a campground, and picnic areas.
Features
Gun lake has two halves that are somewhat symmetrical and shaped like the wings of a butterfly. In the southeast quarter is an island known as "Party Island" to those that do not own it. The owner has since then filed a complaint, and the island is no longer open to the public. Hence the name "Party Island" was retired early summer of 2010. 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 Pickerel Cove on the southern shore, Bairds Cove on the left "wing" of the lake, and the many channels that protrude off the "butterfly" part of the lake. It is a popular tourist destination in the summer. 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 as Winterfest, where events such as a polar bear dip take place, and ice fishing in also a common sight in the cold months.
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.
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.
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. The lake's outlet is into the
Gun River
The Gun River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 19, 2011 tributary of the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, in the United States. It begins at the outlet of Gun Lake (Mi ...
, which connects by the
Kalamazoo River
The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch.U.S. Geologica ...
to
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
. The largest nearby lake is Long Lake. In recent years, a small culvert was erected under the road separating Gun and Long Lakes in the Northeast corner of Gun Lake. It leads under the road, and is an easy gateway to get to Long Lake.
See also
*
List of lakes in Michigan
This is a list of lakes in Michigan. The United States, American state of Michigan borders four of the five Great Lakes, Great Lakes.
The number of inland lakes in Michigan depends on the minimum size. There are:
* 62,798 lakes ≥
* 26,266 lak ...
References
External links
Gun Lake, Allegan and Barry Counties, MI- Michigan DNR
Michigan DNR map of Gun Lake
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Lakes of Michigan
Lakes of Barry County, Michigan
Lakes of Allegan County, Michigan