Kempenfelt Bay is a long bay that leads into the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

city of

Barrie, Ontario Barrie is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, the western arm of Lake Simcoe. Although physically in Simcoe County, Barrie is politically i ...

. It is as deep as in places, and is connected to the larger

Lake Simcoe Lake Simcoe is a lake in southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called ''Ouentironk'' ...

. It is known for its

ice fishing Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice fishers may fish in the open or in heated enclosures, some with bunks and amenities. Shelters Longer ...

and legends of Kempenfelt Kelly, a

Loch Ness monster The Loch Ness Monster ( gd, Uilebheist Loch Nis), affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or mor ...

style prehistoric creature. Kempenfelt Bay is home each year to

Kempenfest Kempenfest is an outdoor arts and crafts festival in Barrie, Ontario, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arc ...

, an outdoor arts and crafts festival.

History

Iroquoian peoples began migrating to the Simcoe County area by the late 13th century. Early Ontario Iroquoian sites in the area which have been identified by archaeologists tend to be situated near bodies of water, and at least six lie adjacent to Kempenfelt Bay or lie closely to its west. In particular, a number of these sites are in a low-lying area near the

Minesing Wetlands Minesing Wetlands, previously known as Minesing Swamp, is a Ramsar boreal wetland in central Ontario, Canada stretching from the western periphery of Barrie to Georgian Bay. It was identified and classified through the International Biological Prog ...

, which drained into the bay. This area was not very suitable for the growing of crops, but instead provided opportunities for hunting and fishing. Excavated faunal remains from settlements show a predominance of fish, with evidence of intensive fishing activity. In particular, the Steven Patrick site ( Borden BcGw-70) had the remains of numerous different fish and animal species, including salmon,

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

, walleye, beaver, raccoon, bear, and dog. The bay was named by

John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the Drainage basin, watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. ...

, the

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

, after Rear-Admiral

Richard Kempenfelt Rear-Admiral Richard Kempenfelt (1718 – 29 August 1782) was a British rear admiral who gained a reputation as a naval innovator. He is best known for his victory against the French at the Second Battle of Ushant and for his death when acciden ...

, Royal Navy, who had served as a captain in the West Indies during the 1740s, at which time and place Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe's father Captain John Simcoe, also served.

Ice fishing

Ice fishing on Lake Simcoe begins in January and lasts until mid-March. Kempenfelt Bay usually freezes later in winter than the shallower sections of Lake Simcoe, such as Cook's Bay. There may be as many as 4000 huts during peak season, which must all be registered with the Ministry of Natural Resources. Yellow perch is the most commonly caught fish. Ice fishing on Lake Simcoe puts more than $28 million annually into the local economy.{{cite web, title=What You Need to Know About Ice Fishing on Lake Simcoe, url=http://www.fishinglakesimcoe.ca/articles/ice-fishing/what-you-need-to-know-about-ice-fishing-on-lake-simcoe.html, website=Fishing Lake Simcoe, accessdate=18 December 2017

References

External links

Kempenfelt Bay in relation to Lake Simcoe
Barrie Landforms of Simcoe County Lake Simcoe Bays of Ontario