Bow Lake (Lanark) ?

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calaboggler
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Bow Lake (Lanark) ?

Post by calaboggler »

Hi, I'm looking to maybe buy a cheap cottage or land and I saw a couple of places listed at Bow Lake in Lanark. Does anyone know anything about this lake? I came across a Lanark tourism lake info page and it said the maximum depth was 6 feet! There is no way this lake is Rain(bow) lake if that is true. Anything else to catch? Surface area is 52 ha. The page said there is pike. It also said no public access which made me wonder why there is a tourism pamplet about it. I went for a drive in to check out the cottage but there was a private road/ no trespassing sign so I didn't want to continue without permission from the realtor or owner. Though there was no gate and it seemed like it was probably fine but I didn't want to p*ss anyone off. thanks for any info.
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smitty55
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Re: Bow Lake (Lanark) ?

Post by smitty55 »

According to the Fish-On site the lake is only 25 ha with a maximum depth of 6 feet. Perch, Sunfish, Bullhead, Sucker and Pike in it. I'm pretty sure there is a hunt camp in there and probably would be good for duck hunting. So maybe good for a hunt camp, but not a place I would want a "cottage" on.

Good luck with your search. Cheers
Smitty

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SalvelinusFontinalis
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Re: Bow Lake (Lanark) ?

Post by SalvelinusFontinalis »

I've checked satellite images on Google Earth and the lake is indeed 6 feet deep, and wouldn't support any type of trout fishery. Just warm water species, like Perch, Sunfish, Pike, Barbot/Mudpout/Bullheads, baitfish. It wouldn't be a cottage on a lake containing trout so if that's what you are looking for it's not what you want.

The positive aspects of a cottage is that there are some great stocked trout lakes nearby. Also it would be a great base or jump off point for hunting and fishing. There is an excess of deer in the area, and although I haven't hunted in this specific area, I have hunted to the north for Ruffed Grouse and had some success. If you were willing to purchase an ATV and trailer, there so many great little lakes you could get into with the ATV, and you could bring a small inflatable boat, or float tube and have these lakes all to yourself.

***You're probably able to do this without me giving you instructions but I'll give them just incase**** If you are interested in getting a very detailed view of the lake and the layout of the cottages and hunt camps etc, you can use Google Maps. To get a good view of the lake and properties, simply open your internet browser and go to https://maps.google.ca then in the top left you'll see an area you can type an address or place name into. Type "Bow Lake, Lanark Highlands, ON" into it and hit the enter key/return key on your keyboard. You then should see it zoom into the lake and you'll see a map view but now you have to get the satellite view. To do that go to the lower left corner where it has a green icon that says "EARTH" and click it. You now will see a satellite view of the lake and should be able to see the bottom of it and all the little cottages etc. There are buttons to zoom in etc in the bottom right corner.
Last edited by SalvelinusFontinalis on Mon Nov 03, 2014 8:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mike P
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Re: Bow Lake (Lanark) ?

Post by Mike P »

Not to far from my house and I also had a friend live there for years { probably the cottage you are interested in}. The best fishing in the lake is for minnow's. There is some very small pike. perch and sunfish. It is a private road and gated because of the thieving that was going on to local cottages. The road is hell in the winter. Although I'm not a hunter, there is a ton of deer in this area and Bow lake could make a good base for your hunt.
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smitty55
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Re: Bow Lake (Lanark) ?

Post by smitty55 »

Mike P wrote: The best fishing in the lake is for minnow's.
Lol Mike, I almost spit my beer out.

It's all private around there, so you'd need a good chunk of land for hunting.

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calaboggler
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Re: Bow Lake (Lanark) ?

Post by calaboggler »

thanks for the replys. Ok, so not a fishing destination lake. Kids might not have issue catching minnows and panfish though so might be ok by them. I have google Earth on my pc but the resolution is for some reason much worse than when I checked the web link above that Salv posted. It looks like there are more cabins in there than I thought! And they have a swimming raft. might not be so bad. This is the cottage I was looking at. Is that where your buddy lived Mike? I've been looking for a while and there are not many cottages/cabins/camps for sale near this price, at least not so close to town and 3 bedroom! It seems the area is totally off the grid and is a no winter maintenance road so that probably the main reason. Anyway something to think about!...

http://www.realtor.ca/propertyDetails.a ... d=14825268
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Mike P
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Re: Bow Lake (Lanark) ?

Post by Mike P »

There is about 8 cottages/ houses up in there. Ends up I have another friend living up there also. He and his Mother have two of the places up there. The road is maintained in the winter just not well. My other friend did not live in the house you are referring to. He, along with my friend who is there now all have hydro and water so that could also be an option for you at a latter date.
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SalvelinusFontinalis
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Re: Bow Lake (Lanark) ?

Post by SalvelinusFontinalis »

Looks peaceful enough but, I don't know if you noticed but in one of the pictures on the slideshow, there is clear water damage to the ceiling in at least one of the photos. That on it's own is a pain in the butt to fix, but combine it with the fact there could be one or more strains of mold up there and spores in the air your kids could be breathing is enough to cut the price of that place down to the price of the land on it's own!

I moved to a home with a severe mold infestation when I was 15 and totally healthy and by age 17, I was severely ill, with multiple autoimmune diseases. My mother and sister also fell ill with autoimmune diseases about 3 years after moving into the house. All 3 of us are still very ill today, even after moving out of that hell hole.

I don't know if there is bad water damage at that cottage but it appears to be there. It may not have mold I can't tell for sure but usually they go hand in hand.

As for the swimming, the lake looks nice, but it does look weedy, and kids usually don't like to swim in weedy water. The fishing is probably good for kids. I guess there is no way to know unless you checked it out yourself. I'd probably look elsewhere but i guess I'd have to visit the cottage in person before I ruled it out.

Sorry for the rant, but when I saw what looked like water damage I had to say something. Mold is awful stuff.
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