Pickerel & Mud Lake

Pickerel and Mud Lake are roughly 715 acres combined. Pickerel and Mud Lake are normally associated together because of their close proximity. Water from Pickerel Lake flows over the dam directly into Mud Lake, where it then flows to Shoff Creek and into Fountain Lake. Mud and Pickerel Lake, like many in our District, are protected from new invasive fish species by an electric fish barrier. The barrier located on the outlet of Mud Lake was the first of the Districts to be installed and was the start of the lake reclamation process. The fish barrier was installed in 2008.  In 2009, Pickerel and Mud Lake, as well as streams, wetlands and other lakes in the upper watershed, received rotenone treatments to remove all fish. Rotenone is a chemical that kills gill breathing organisms. The purpose of this application was to remove rough fish species from the lakes because these fish stir up phosphorus laden bottom sediment. The lakes were then restocked with game fish species in the spring of 2010. Water quality greatly improved as a result of the reclamation process and shallow lake standards for clarity and chlorophyll were achieved. Pickerel Lake Park is located on the south west side of the lake and is home to the lakes only public boat access. Pickerel Lake is also the only other lake in the watershed that has an island. Unlike Fountain Lake, this island is privately owned.