A good number of largemouth bass were caught in the current survey, but growth rates were well below the statewide average. Largemouth bass fishing in Orchard Lake is reported as good. References
Brown, C. J. D. 1941. Sand and gravel substrate predominate in the shallows, except for marl bottom on the northwest side of the lake. Coolwater fish species including bluegill, walleye, yellow perch, and smallmouth bass were stocked regularly from 1934 until 1942 (Table 1). Sampling consisted of 13 trap net lifts, 3 minnow seines, 4 experimental gill net lifts, and 3 fyke net lifts during June 4-7, 2002. A kettle lake is a depression in the earth which was created by partially buried glacial ice blocks and became filled with water after the glacial ice melted. Bluegill growth rates have deteriorated, but the abundance of older year classes has resulted in an improvement in the average size of bluegills. It is expected that the fishing intensity will increase, now that the Department of Conservation has purchased frontage on the southeast side of the lake." Esta pgina foi editada pela ltima vez s 19h21min de 9 de novembro de 2019. Furthermore, wetlands should be restored where possible to maintain or expand habitat for this important species. Census 2000 Summary File 1, U.S. Census Bureau. Redear sunfish management in Michigan. While there are extensive shoal areas, the lake consists of two deep basins; an 80-foot deep basin east of Apple Island and a 111-foot deep basin south of Apple Island (Figure 1). There is a legal lake level established for Orchard Lake, with a summer elevation of 930.50 feet and a winter elevation of 930.20 feet. Not enough pike were caught to develop a mean growth index, but the pike appeared to be growing close to the state wide average (Table 5). 
Bluegills are targeted because they play a key role in community structure and overall sportfishing quality (Schneider 1981). Eleven northern pike were caught in the survey and they averaged 23.1 inches long, but over half of the pike were over the minimum legal size limit of 24 inches (Table 3). At times of low water level, water is pumped from Cass Lake into Orchard Lake at the water level control structure. Previous surveys found growth rates only slightly lower than the statewide average. Michigan Department of Natural Resources TITLE \* MERGEFORMAT 2007-35
Status of the Fishery Resource Report Page PAGE 1
= > i k { | } 8 : B N) P) X) _) 8> :> R> X X %X e e e h h h i i i -i .i 5i 6i :i. No ciscoes were caught in the survey. In 2002, 75% of the black crappie catch was age-3 fish. Waybrant, J. R. and M. V. Thomas. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Report Number 671. Current Status
A fish community survey was conducted on Orchard Lake by MDNR Fisheries Division during June 2002. Although bowfin and gar are classified as rough fish because they are not targeted by anglers, these species are native predators which help balance the fish community in lakes. Because cisco is a deepwater fish, they would only be expected to be collected in the gill nets from this survey. Even though smallmouth bass are not plentiful in Orchard Lake, it is good to note that they are present. 
A creel survey was conducted on Orchard Lake in 1986. 1988. Overall, the abundance and size of panfish in Orchard Lake will continue to support a good fishery. A total of 2,450 were caught, represented by 24 species (Table 2). The oldest pumpkinseeds caught in 1984 and 1994 were age-6 and age-7 respectively, whereas in 2002, 22% of the catch was age-7 and older, with fish up to 11-years old. History
Early settlers are reported to have named this lake from an apple orchard they found on the central island. A creel survey taken by Conservation Officers on Orchard Lake between 1928 and 1940 found the catch of 3.7 legal fish per hour. Black crappie made up about 3% of the total catch by number and had an average length of 8.4 inches. The presence of a good pumpkinseed population and large areas of marl in Orchard Lake make this a good candidate. A possibility to improve panfish opportunities in Orchard Lake would be through the introduction of redear sunfish. It is interesting to note that while the sizes of the bluegill have increased, the mean growth index has declined. > g j f s @ i bjbj5*5* (z W@ W@ ` 8 2 , j j ( p q q q q q q $ R | ( ( ( p ( p ( ( ( ^ RAY > ( p 0 ( t ( t ( t ( H (
Orchard Lake
Oakland County, T2N R9E Secs. Again, this provides further support that there is light fishing pressure on Orchard Lake.
However, in 2002 the average size in the survey catch was 9.4 inches and the mean growth index was -2.9. The access site has a hard-surfaced ramp with sufficient water depth and lake size to accommodate most trailerable boats, and includes parking for 63 vehicles. The quality of the bluegill population in Orchard Lake was evaluated using Schneider's Index (Schneider 1990). Redears have been established successfully in many southern Michigan lakes, providing trophy panfish opportunities for anglers (Towns 2003). From the 10-foot to 30-foot depths, a band of marl circumscribes the muck-bottomed areas of deep water. The temperature and oxygen profile for Orchard Lake in 2002 found adequate oxygen levels (>5 mg/l) in the upper part of the thermocline to support fish (Table 6). Although the relative numbers of these fish were small, the average size of the fish caught was large. Classifying bluegill populations from lake survey data. However, poor fishing results in the early 1970s resulted in suspending the trout stockings in 1973 and 1974.
They made up 8% of the total catch by number and had an average length of 6.9 inches. A stone monument near the junction of Commerce Road and Indian Trail Road, at the northeast side of the lake, marks one end of a trail between Mt. It is interesting that this issue was documented as being a problem in Orchard Lake 60 years ago. In summer, dissolved oxygen of sufficient quantity to support fish life occurs to a depth of about 40 feet. An extensive fisheries report for Orchard Lake was written in 1941 (Brown 1941). Oxygen levels ranged from 8.7 mg/l on the surface to 0.06 mg/l on the bottom. Evaluation surveys in 1975 and 1976 failed to detect either of these species. One contributing factor may have been an ordinance by the City of Orchard Lake which prohibited leaving ice shanties up over night. Loss of marsh habitat along inland lakes is a common problem today, due to the continuing advance of urbanization. Results from the 1940 survey reported growth rates as above average for pike and perch, and slightly below average for bluegill and sunfish. A limiting factor for ciscoes in many lakes is a lack of sufficient oxygen levels in the cold water in the upper part of the thermocline. There is a diverse forage base in Orchard Lake. Just over 43% of the bluegill caught exceeded 7 inches and 13% were 8 inches or larger (Table 3). Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, Technical Report 2003-3. Ciscoes were the most common species caught in a gill net survey of Orchard Lake in 1890; however, no ciscoes were caught in the current survey. General fish surveys were conducted in 1984 and 1994. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Research Report 1890, Ann Arbor. Common carp ranged in size from 16 inches to 28 inches and averaged 5 pounds apiece, and longnose gar ranged from 28 inches to 36 inches long. The survey found good numbers of both pumpkinseeds and black crappies, and both have growth rates that are better than the state wide averages. The catches of black crappie were relatively consistent among surveys. Smallmouth are not common in southern Michigan lakes and are typically only found in lakes with good water quality. The water of Orchard Lake is fairly clear and moderately hard. This fish reproduces rapidly and grows quickly feeding primarily on insects in the sediments. Although only 4 gill net lifts were done in the 2002 survey, it is expected that at least some ciscoes should have been caught. Wexford, Nesta Wikipdia, os atalhos de idioma esto na, parte superior da pgina, em frente ao ttulo do artigo, Estatsticas, mapas e outras informaes sobre Orchard-Lake-Village em city-data.com, U.S. There is a DNR public access site located on the southwest side of the lake, off Orchard Lake Road. Conversely, age-7 bluegill was the most abundant age class in the 2002 survey, and 45% of the catch was age-7 and older (Table 4). Census Bureau. Anglers caught an estimated 8,649 fish, with one third of the catch being bluegill (Waybrant and Thomas 1988). So it is not weighted heavily toward older fish, like bluegill and pumpkinseeds. That means the water volume in Orchard Lake is replaced on average once every 8.6 years. Other species that were caught in small numbers were smallmouth bass, yellow perch, brown bullhead, and yellow bullhead. The bass averaged 9.2 inches long with only 6% of the catch exceeding the minimum legal size limit of 14 inches (Table 3). On September 11, 2002, a temperature and oxygen profile was conducted, as well as conductivity, pH, alkalinity, and Secchi depth (a measure of water clarity) data were collected. Towns, G. L. 2003. Fisheries survey of Orchard Lake, Oakland County, Michigan. Redears reach a length of almost 9 inches by age 5, where a bluegill takes about 10 years to reach a similar size. 
This is good because in addition to being a popular sport fish, pike play an important role in helping maintain a balanced fish community through predation. Schneider, J. C. 1981. Panfish such as bluegill, black crappie, pumpkinseed, rock bass, and yellow perch made up 40% of the total catch by number and 38% by weight. This fish is not native to Michigan, but was introduced in the United States in the late 1800s. Redears have similar requirements to pumpkinseeds and do well in lakes that have large areas of marl. Analysis and Discussion
Bluegills continued to be one of the most abundant fish in the catch. The fisheries report from 1941 indicated that there was a big drop in pike numbers at that time due to filling of marsh area along shore for development. The big jump in average size among surveys is again attributed to a shift in the age structure of pumpkinseeds. Remaining marshes and wetlands should be protected to maintain existing habitat. Large game fish such as northern pike, largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass accounted for 5% of the total catch by number and 14% by weight. Pumpkinseeds in Orchard Lake were growing slightly above the state average with a +0.2 mean growth index. They have a negative affect on the environment by suspending sediments in the water column (causing turbidity) and disturbing aquatic vegetation. Rough fishes made up a significant proportion of the biomass in the current survey. Pike are self-sustaining in this lake, providing sufficient number to provide a fishery and a predator to maintain balance in the fish community. Even fewer smallmouth bass were caught than perch. This species is important to monitor because they are sensitive to environmental changes and pollution and changes in cisco numbers may be an indicator for changes in water quality. This catch rate was high compared to the state average of 1.1 fish per hour. This discrepancy can be explained by a change in the age structure among surveys. Several year classes of northern pike were represented in the catch, so there is successful natural reproduction. The two basins are separated by a shallow shelf which extends from Apple Island to the northwest corner of the lake and is less than five feet deep, and a second shelf from Apple Island to the southeast side which is between 5 and 10 feet deep. 