Get to know Lake St. Clair

Lake St. Clair is a freshwater lake that lies between the State of Michigan and the Province of Ontario. It is part of the Great Lakes system, and along with the St Clair River and Detroit River, Lake St. Clair connects Lake Huron (to its north) with Lake
Erie (to its south). Lake St. Clair is part of the Great Lakes system, but its surface area is 17 times smaller than Lake Ontario, and it has less than 1/4 of one percent of its volume. It is rarely included in the list of “Great Lakes” but is sometimes referred to as “the sixth Great Lake”

The history of the lake is very interesting. It is believed by some that the Frenchexplorer Louis Jolliet was the first European to visit the lake area (1669); but some credit the first European visitors to two French missionaries (1670). The lake and the St. Clair River were named by the French explorers Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, and Father Louis Hennepin, who arrived on St. Clair’s Day in 1679. In the latter part of the 17th century, the Mississauga established a village near the lake.

Before European contact a number of indigenous nations lived and travelled around the area including the Huron, the Iroquois, the Mascouten, Fox, Sauk and Potawatomi.

Early French mapmakers had identified the lake by a variety of French and Iroquoian-language names, including Lac des Eaux de Mer [Seawater Lake] and Lac Ganatchio (“kettle,” for its shape). A variety of indigenous names were associated with sweetness, as the lake was freshwater as opposed to saltwater. These included Otsiketa (sugar or candy), Kandequio or Kandekio (possibly candy) and Oiatinatchiketo (probably a form of Otsiketa).

Today, Lake St. Clair is a popular tourist destination and offers a variety of activities and experiences to choose from. If you are thinking of staying in Lake Saint Clair for a few days there are a number of accommodation options available; everything from renting a cottage by the lake to standard hotels. Lake St. Clair has always been a treasured natural resource for the residents of southeast Michigan and southwest Ontario. Clair offers many pristine locations with beautiful clear water to
enjoy and many calm bays to explore.

Lake Saint Clair is best known for its incredible fishing. The lake is known to have a good variance of different fish. Muskie, walleye, and steelhead swim in abundance in Lake St. Clair. Other fish include pike, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, largemouth bass, catfish, carp, crappie, panfish, sunfish and bullhead.

Weather permitting, ice fishing is also found on Lake St Clair, (which you can book with us). Lake Saint Clair has some of the best fishing in North America and people come
from all over the world to enjoy