Q:  I live in Brampton and I was wondering if there's any fish in Professor's Lake. I would like to go fishing with my son. Can we catch any carp or other species? My understanding is that there's no restriction for carp fishing. Is the season open for other species?

A:  Professors Lake has many varieties of fish and can be an excellent place for fishing.  You mentioned carp - yes there are some rather large carp in the lake. I've seen large schools of them at both ends of the lake; the end closest to Bramalea Road and Professors Lake Pkwy, off of Pepperwood; and all along the shoreline at the other end closest to Torbram Road. Lots of kids get excited when they see them and try to catch them with worms or fishing lures, but usually to no avail. I have seen a few people who know how to catch them around here, but not many. I admit, I have not caught one yet either. I've been told by someone who has caught one that they go for bread on a hook, but I haven't tied it myself yet.

The lake also has lots of bass, perch, crappie, sunfish, and a few other varieties I've never heard of. There are even some koi (Japanese goldfish) which escaped from a backyard pond (but that's another story).  For a complete list of aquatic species in Professors Lake go to the fish page.

As for open seasons and restrictions, they are the same all over this part of the province with no exceptions that I am aware of for Professors Lake. Go to the Ministry of Natural Resources website for more info: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/fishing/

Q:  What species of fish inhabit the lake... and is fishing permitted year round?

A:  There are several varieties of fish in Professors Lake. I have seen bass, perch, crappie, sunfish, carp, and koi (Japanese goldfish). There are also turtles, muskrats, and crayfish.

A few years ago, a friend of my daughter's caught a piranha that someone had released into the lake! In the panic that followed, the authorities had the entire lake inventoried. To do this they ran electric currents through the water and scooped up all the stunned fish to see if they could find another piranha. They didn't find one and if any remained they would have died over the winter anyway.

Once they completed this they posted a list of fish varieties identified in the lake. The list was quite large with several species I had never heard of before (what the heck is a "pumpkinseed fish"???). I wish now that I have taken a copy of it at the time. I'll ask around to see if anyone has it.  [FOLOW-UP: FOUND THE LIST - POSTED IT ON THIS SITE MAY 9/03 CLICK HERE]

Regarding year round fishing: I have seen plenty of ice fishing aver the years. As far as I know, the rules and open seasons are the same for Professors Lake as for any other southern Ontario lake. Check out the MNR site for details: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/fishing/

Q:  Hello, I was wondering what records have previously been set for this lake... ie: What was the largest Bass caught?? or perhaps what was the largest carp??  Thanks...

A:  I have nothing official to substantiate any record claims, but here is what I have heard:

I've been told by someone who claimed to have great knowledge of the lake (I wish I could find this guy again - I have plenty of questions for him) that an Ontario champion bass was caught at the north end of the lake several years ago. And I don't doubt it from what I've seen caught around here in the past.

As far as I know, Professors Lake may be the only Canadian lake to yield a piranha to an angler. (There was only one in the lake.) Actually, now that I think of it, the bass and the piranha were both caught around the same area. Hmmm.

There are lots of large carp in the lake, but I'm not aware of any records being set here.

Q:  How many kilometers is it around the lake?

A:  The pathway around Professors Lake follows the shoreline for most of the way, deviating only to go behind the beach and recreation centre. At the south-west part of the lake the pathway ends and the sidewalk takes over in front of the houses along Pepperwood Pl. and Professors Lake Pkwy. The complete route is about 3 km around. It is a pleasant, scenic area to walk, run, ride, inline-skate, or just sit and observe people and nature.  The pathway surface is scheduled to be replaced and widened to 10 ft. in 2003. Many trees and shrubs were cut back in the fall of 2002 in preparation for this work. The new wider path allows space for service and emergency vehicles to access the park and there has been some talk about the possibility of lane divisions for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Q:  No swimming?  Oh this makes sense, it is a lake! It is not so much the no swimming rule, but the fact that if you go to the recreation center they have a lovely beach you can swim at if you pay for it.  (from The Brampton Guardian - Letter to the Editor - Feb. 26/2003)

A:  We all like to think that lakes are a natural wilderness, and as such should be without restrictive rules.  Unfortunately, lakes can have some dangers, and our human nature has demonstrated a need for such restrictions.  Let me explain.  It would be great if we could just dive in to the lake whenever and wherever we choose.  But if one of those times we happen to strike an unseen rock beneath the surface and permanently damage ourselves, or drown in the middle of the lake having mistakenly concluded we can still swim across like could when we were fifteen, there will be repercussions.  We generally do not accept responsibility for the consequences of our actions; we tend to blame others for our mistakes and misfortunes.  And we take legal action against those whom we believe should have had a moral obligation to protect us.  Our City has experienced this many times and has learned from it.  The City of Brampton has accepted its moral obligation to protect us (sometimes from ourselves) and has taken the necessary steps to ensure our safety while still allowing us to have some fun.  In fact, swimming is encouraged in an appropriate area of Professors Lake.  We have a beautiful sandy beach complete with a decent water slide, a large raft, extremely well trained lifeguards, a snack bar, and other amenities, and the entrance fee is more than fair.  It is impossible for the City to provide adequate supervision over the entire lake. It’s just too big.

Q:  No skating? Maybe this is a good rule, but it has been really cold and I am sure the ice is safe or at least was last week. (from The Brampton Guardian - Letter to the Editor - Feb. 26/2003)

A:  In fact the City encourages skating on the lake.  Again here though, the City accepts its obligation to our personal safety by asking residents to let them know where we will be skating.  Parks staff then regularly check the thickness of the ice in those areas and post “ice unsafe” signs when applicable.  We are asked not to skate in areas where the ice is not being monitored.  Professors Lake does have some underwater currents in places and this can cause some areas of the ice to be too thin to skate on from time to time.

Q:  Seeing as the lake was artificially created, where did the current fish population come from? Did the city stock the lake at some time in its history?

A:  I am not an authority on this, and I don’t know who is.  But I’ll take a stab at it anyway.  I have heard that there was once, a long time ago, a fish stocking program at Professors Lake.  I have no details or confirmation of this though.  I have also wondered about the many different varieties of fish in the lake. I’ve been told that sometimes people have taken it upon themselves to release a fish in this lake that they caught in another lake (or, as in the case of the piranha a few years ago, from their aquariums) - not encouraged.  Also, someone said that the seagulls that eat the fish fly from lake to lake depositing undigested fish eggs wherever they relieve themselves (usually on my car).  If anyone has more information on this, I'd like to hear from you.

Q:  How deep is the lake?

A:  About 50 feet.