Cabonga Reservoir
Encyclopedia
The Cabonga Reservoir is a man-made lake in central Quebec
, Canada
, with a total surface area of 677 square kilometres (261.4 sq mi) and a net area (water only) of 484 square kilometres (186.9 sq mi). It is located on the boundary between the unorganized territories of Lac-Pythonga
and Réservoir-Dozois
, and fully within the La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve
. The First Nations
reserve of Rapide Lake is on its western shores.
Its name is derived from the Algonquin
kakibonga and means "completely blocked by sand."
The reservoir has 2 outlets: the Gens de Terre River flowing to the south-east which is a tributary of the Baskatong Reservoir
and Gatineau River
; and an outflow to the north-west flowing directly into Barrière Lake which is part of the Ottawa River
system. Both outflows are controlled by dams to regulate the flow on these respective rivers.
Many fishing magazines and websites consider Cabonga Reservoir one of North America's top 20 walleye
and northern pike
waters. And Outdoor Canada magazine includes it among its "simply the best" hot spots for lake trout
fishing.
established a trading post at this lake (named Kakabonga at that time). The post burned down in 1873, and was not rebuilt but replaced by a new post on Barrière Lake. In 1928-1929, a dam at the outlet of the lake, the Gens de Terre River, was constructed to create a water reserve for logging companies to float their logs downstream
. Some 37 natural lakes were thus combined and formed a single reservoir with an area of 404 square kilometres (156 sq mi), dotted with innumerable islands (some with considerable proportions) and deep bays.
Surveyor H. C. Symmes, in a report dating from 1864, used "Kakibonga" to designate the lake. In 1911, one map named it "Lake Kakabonga". Finally in 1924, the Commission de Géographie approved its current name.
, blue walleye
, northern pike
, lake sturgeon
, lake whitefish
, sauger
, white sucker
, and yellow perch
.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, with a total surface area of 677 square kilometres (261.4 sq mi) and a net area (water only) of 484 square kilometres (186.9 sq mi). It is located on the boundary between the unorganized territories of Lac-Pythonga
Lac-Pythonga, Quebec
Lac-Pythonga is an unorganized territory in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. It surrounds Lake Pythonga and is the largest of the five unorganized territories in the La Vallée-de-la-Gatineau Regional County Municipality....
and Réservoir-Dozois
Réservoir-Dozois, Quebec
Réservoir-Dozois is an unorganized territory in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada. It is the largest of five unorganized territories in the La Vallée-de-l'Or Regional County Municipality and entirely part of the La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve....
, and fully within the La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve
La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve
La Vérendrye wildlife reserve is one of the largest reserves in the province of Quebec, Canada, covering 12,589 square kilometres of contiguous land and lake area . It is named after Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye, a French-Canadian explorer...
. The First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
reserve of Rapide Lake is on its western shores.
Its name is derived from the Algonquin
Algonquin language
Algonquin is either a distinct Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario...
kakibonga and means "completely blocked by sand."
The reservoir has 2 outlets: the Gens de Terre River flowing to the south-east which is a tributary of the Baskatong Reservoir
Baskatong Reservoir
The Baskatong Reservoir is a man-made lake in western Quebec, Canada. It was formed following the construction of the Mercier Dam in 1927 and has an area of 413 km2. It has no generating station at its dam, but the reservoir is used to control the flow of the Gatineau River for several...
and Gatineau River
Gatineau River
The Gatineau River is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec...
; and an outflow to the north-west flowing directly into Barrière Lake which is part of the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
system. Both outflows are controlled by dams to regulate the flow on these respective rivers.
Many fishing magazines and websites consider Cabonga Reservoir one of North America's top 20 walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
and northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
waters. And Outdoor Canada magazine includes it among its "simply the best" hot spots for lake trout
Lake trout
Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
fishing.
History
Before its impoundment, Lake Cabonga was considered the largest body of water between the Gatineau and Ottawa Rivers. In 1851, the Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
established a trading post at this lake (named Kakabonga at that time). The post burned down in 1873, and was not rebuilt but replaced by a new post on Barrière Lake. In 1928-1929, a dam at the outlet of the lake, the Gens de Terre River, was constructed to create a water reserve for logging companies to float their logs downstream
Log driving
Log driving is a means of log transport which makes use of a river's current to move floating tree trunks downstream to sawmills and pulp mills.It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America...
. Some 37 natural lakes were thus combined and formed a single reservoir with an area of 404 square kilometres (156 sq mi), dotted with innumerable islands (some with considerable proportions) and deep bays.
Surveyor H. C. Symmes, in a report dating from 1864, used "Kakibonga" to designate the lake. In 1911, one map named it "Lake Kakabonga". Finally in 1924, the Commission de Géographie approved its current name.
Fauna
Fish species found in the lake are: lake trout, yellow walleyeWalleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, blue walleye
Blue walleye
The blue walleye , also called the blue pike, was a subspecies of the walleye that went extinct in the Great Lakes in the 1980s...
, northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
, lake sturgeon
Lake sturgeon
The lake sturgeon is a North American temperate freshwater fish, one of about 20 species of sturgeon. Like other sturgeons, this species is an evolutionarily ancient bottomfeeder with a partly cartilaginous skeleton and skin bearing rows of bony plates...
, lake whitefish
Lake whitefish
The lake whitefish , also called the Sault whitefish or gizzard fish, is a species of freshwater whitefish from North America. Lake whitefish are found throughout much of Canada and parts of the northern United States, including all of the Great Lakes. A valuable commercial fish, they are also...
, sauger
Sauger
The sauger is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae which resembles its close relative the walleye. They are members of the largest vertebrate order, Perciforms. They are the most migratory percid species in North America. Saugers obtain two dorsal fins, the first is spiny and the...
, white sucker
White Sucker
The White Sucker is a bottom-feeding freshwater fish inhabiting North America from Labrador in the north to Georgia and New Mexico in the south. It is a long, round-bodied fish with a dark green, grey, copper, brown, or black back and sides and a light underbelly. When fullgrown, it is between 12...
, and yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
.