2025 Baptiste Lake Restoration Project
Baptiste Lake is a large lake located in Herschel Township, Bancroft, ON. Stocked with lake trout, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and walleye, it is a well known fishing destination.
However, concerns have been raised about the status of the lake trout spawning beds. They have been observed to have collected a layer of silt and algae that covers the stones, which poses problems for lake trout as it can impede oxygen flow to the sensitive species’ eggs and limit their ability to ‘stick’ to the stone.
To address this problem directly, Watersheds Canada met with partners to restore three known spawning beds. In partnership with Baptiste Lake Association, Bancroft Area Stewardship Council, and North Hastings Community Fish Hatchery, staff and volunteers met on September 26th, 2025, to take on the important work.
Spawning bed restoration involves the use of brushes and a high-powered water pump to dislodge silt from the beds, which is then collected with a silt curtain. With the beds clean, more stone – 3 tonnes of it in this case – was added in order to further enhance the substrate.
The project was made possible thanks to the generous support and funding of Bancroft Area Stewardship Council, Ontario Wildlife Federation, and J.P. Bickell Foundation. All Watersheds Canada fish habitat projects are completed with applicable permits and approval by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
In partnership with grassroots organizations and local volunteers, Watersheds Canada has completed many fish habitat restoration projects across Eastern and Central Ontario over the past decade, including walleye spawning bed enhancements, cold-water creek enhancements, lake trout spawning bed enhancements, and in-water habitat enhancements through the deployment of brush piles (woody debris). If you think your Ontario waterfront community could benefit from a fish habitat enhancement project, please check out the free Fish Habitat Enhancement Toolkit: Watersheds.ca/download-the-fish-habitat-enhancement-toolkit/
Thanks to:
J.P. Bickell Foundation