| Jackfish Lake | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dusk at Jackfish Lake | |
  Jackfish Lake Location in Saskatchewan Show map of Saskatchewan Jackfish Lake Jackfish Lake (Canada) Show map of Canada | |
| Location | RM of Meota No. 468,Saskatchewan |
| Coordinates | 53°04′00″N108°24′03″W / 53.0667°N 108.4007°W /53.0667; -108.4007 |
| Part of | Saskatchewan River drainage basin |
| Primary inflows |
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| Primary outflows | Jackfish River |
| Catchment area | 3,320 km2 (1,280 sq mi) |
| Basin countries | Canada |
| Max. length | 14.8 km (9.2 mi) |
| Max. width | 9 km (5.6 mi) |
| Surface area | 7,212.6 ha (17,823 acres) |
| Average depth | 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) |
| Max. depth | 7.1 m (23 ft) |
| Shore length1 | 42 km (26 mi) |
| Surface elevation | 528 m (1,732 ft)[1] |
| Settlements | |
| 1 Shore length isnot a well-defined measure. | |
Jackfish Lake[2] is a large, shallow lake in centralSaskatchewan, Canada. It is about 48 kilometres (30 mi) south of the village ofEdam in theRural Municipality of Meota No. 468. There are several communities and two parks along the lake's shores. Access to the lake and its amenities is fromHighways 4,26,697,674,769, and204.
Jackfish River,[3] located at the lake's southern end, is the primary outflow. The river exits at the south end of the lake through acontrol structure that was built in 1966 that regulates Jackfish Lake's levels. From the control structure, the river flows south into theNorth Saskatchewan River about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) upstream fromThe Battlefords. Charette Creek, Jackfish Creek, and Lehman Creek[4] fromMurray Lake atCochin are its main inflows.[5]
Jackfish Lake is in theboreal parkland ecoregion of east-central Saskatchewan. It is a large, shallow lake that covers an area of 7,212.6 hectares (17,823 acres) and has an average depth of 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in).[6] It is about 14.8 kilometres (9.2 mi) long and 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) wide. Thedrainage basin of the lake is 3,320 square kilometres (1,280 sq mi).
In "ancient times", when water levels were higher,Murray and Jackfish Lakes were joined as one lake. The hill south of Cochin was an island and, on the north-west side of Jackfish Lake, there are "three previous beach lines".[7]
In 1966, theJackfish River control structure was built by the Jackfish Lake Watershed Association Board (JLWAB) at the lake's outflow to regulate water levels and ensure a stable water supply for downstream water users. The control structure ensures a maximum water level of 529.44 metres (1,737.0 ft).[8]
There are several small communities around the lake. Along the southern shore is the village ofMeota, theresort village ofMetinota, and the hamlet ofLakeview. Along the eastern shore is the resort village ofCochin and the hamlets ofTrevessa Beach,Day's Beach,West Chatfield Beach, andBayview Heights. Also along the eastern shore is a small part ofSaulteaux 159Indian reserve. Cochin straddles the isthmus that separarates Jackfish and Murray Lakes[9] with Murray Lake's outflow, Lehman Creek, running through the community. Just to the north of Cochin is the Cochin Lighthouse. It overlooks the community and both lakes and is Saskatchewan's only lighthouse.[10]
The resort village ofAquadeo is the only community on the northern shore and the hamlet ofMartinson's Beach is the only one on the western side.
There are two parks at Jackfish Lake.The Battlefords Provincial Park is along the north-eastern shore andMeota Regional Park is along the southern.
The Battlefords Provincial Park has several beaches, three campgrounds with over 300 campsites, several hiking trails, and a golf course.[11] Meota Regional Park is in the village of Meota. It has a beach, swimming pool, ball diamonds, over 100 campsites, mini-golf, and nature trails. A golf course is located adjacent to the park.[12]
Fish commonly found in Jackfish Lake includeperch,walleye,northern pike,burbot,channel catfish, andwhitefish.[13][14]
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