Mona Lake is a freshwater lake located in Norton Shores just outside the city of

Muskegon Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expans ...

in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

( Muskegon County). Mona Lake is a sandy bottom lake that flows into Lake Michigan via the Mona Lake channel.

History

During the mid to late 1800s the lake had numerous lumber mills. Most prominent of these was Ferry's Mill. This mill was owned by Grand Haven's

Ferry family The Ferrys were a prominent Michigan and Utah family between the early 19th Century to the early 20th Century. See also * Thomas W. White (born 1805), Thomas W. White, Michigan Politician who was William Montague Ferry's Brother in-law. * Dana ...

Fishing

The lake is an exceptional fishery for big

walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...

s, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish,

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, bu ...

muskellunge The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name "muskell ...

(muskie),

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...

, smallmouth bass,

white bass The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12-15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with white ...

, salmon, and

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

. There is a public access boat launch with hard-surface ramps on the north shore via Mona Lake Park. Mona Lake Park features a boat launch, a covered picnic shelter, parking, lighted fishing pier, beach and sporting facilities. Mona Lake is connected to Lake Michigan by a recreational channel. The park is located nearby the I-96 and US-31 Interchange

Parks and Recreation

There is a boating club on Mona Lake that is open to the public. The boating club features a full service gas station dock, boat launch, full service kitchen, restrooms, tiki bar, playground, picnic areas, and a sandy beach. On the south side of Mona Lake is Norton Shores' Ross Park, which is a 43-acre park located on Randall Road. Ross Park features a sandy beach area with playground equipment, a picnic area, a paved walkway and a volleyball area. There is also a boat parking area for those who want to come ashore.
Lake Harbor Park
is a 189 acre park located on Lake Harbor Road, just north of the Mona Lake Channel. The park has over 4000 feet on Lake Michigan, 2000 feet on the Mona Lake Channel and 1500 feet on Mona Lake. The park can be accessed by foot, bike, car or boat. The walkway along Mona Lake provides an ideal fishing area. The walkway passes under the bridge and leads to a picnic area overlooking the channel, complete with tables, grills, shelter and restrooms. A scenic deck overlooking the channel was completed in 2000. Going west from this walkway, an interpretive trail leads to the dunes, a wooden walkway with observation decks and a beautiful beach on Lake Michigan.

References

{{authority control Lakes of Michigan Lakes of Muskegon County, Michigan