About Go Home Lake
Of the Muskoka regions 1,600 lakes, Go Home Lake is the 14th largest lake by size. It is approximately 7.5 km long (from the river at the south end to the tip of Manning's Bay at the north end) and approximately 5.0 km across at its widest point (from the west end of the Go Home River to the east end of Log Bridge Inlet). The average width of the lake for its entire length is approximately 1.0 km. The lakes average depth is in the 13.7-20 m (45-65 ft) range although there are numerous bays and coves that are as shallow as .6 m (2 ft) while others are as deep as 49.7 m (163 ft). As with other lakes in Ontario, the water level in Go Home Lake fluctuates annually, some times as much as .9 m (3 ft).
Go Home Lake has been ranked as being the prettiest lake in Muskoka (if not in Ontario).
Most of the lake sits on 1.5 billion year old Canadian Shield granite. Many of the shallow bays are mud covered and vegatation growth is healthy. Only one bay in the lake is overgrown and even this is in only one section of the bay which is long, narrow, and relatively shallow. This bay is a well known Pike hatchery.
Water throughout the lake is clear and non-polluted although mud bottomed bays have tea coloured stained water.
Go Home Lake is part of the Muskoka Lake/Moon River watershed which eventually feeds into Georgian Bay. The Musquash River feeds Grey Lake and Flatrock Lake to the east which flow into Go Home Lake at Flatrock Falls (sometimes called Flat Rapid Falls). Flatrock Lake also feeds into Go Home at the Log Bridge Inlet to the east side of the lake. There are other inlet streams that feed Go Home including an inlet from Irvine Lake at the north end of Manning's Bay. Go Home Lake empties into Georgian Bay at the west end of the Go Home River (at Go Home Bay) and via the Lower Musquash River into what is today called the Gibson River at the Go Home Dam.
Lake Trout were last stocked in the lake in the early 1970's and in 2009 the MNR is engaged in a Walleye habitat improvement project where the lake empties into Georgian Bay. Georgian-Muskoka Fishing Charters working with the MNR is also maintaining a number of "bass beds"in the lake to improve bass numbers.
Go Home Lake is unlike most of the other lakes in Muskoka in that it is a controlled development lake. Approximately 1/3 of the lakes shoreline is Crown Land that can not be developed or purchased. There are only about 300 building lots on the lake mostly occuppied by seasonal water access cottages however there are about 20 years round road access properties on the lake at the southend.
There are two marinas that service the lake, both privately owned located at the south end off Muskoka Road 32. Both marinas have docking and gas facilities and there are boat repairs at Go Home Lake Marina. There is a government dock and parking lot at Miner's Bay Marina. The lake also has a well established Cottage Owners Association which maintain the marker lights that are on most of the shoals or cuts and also maintain a regatta beach. There is also a Lake Watch program in affect on the lake with a volunteer fire patrol.
Go Home Lake has many famous residents and celebrities that call it home or their summer retreat. These include CBC personality Patrick Watson, former Ontario Health Minister Dr. A Dyer, and a 2002 World Triathalon Champion and three time medal winner David Vass. The award winning novel "Day of the Dog Tooth Violets" by Christine Kilborne is set in Go Home Lake. Important historical figures to have visited the lake are Samuel De Champlain and later in about 1837 the greatest Canadian explorer of all time, David Thompson, visited the lake as he was mapping Muskoka.