Boating, Swimming, and Fishing
Crystal and Perch Lakes offer the opportunity to enjoy swimming, fishing, and boating during the summer months and ice fishing, skating, and ice hockey during the winter months. It’s important that owners follow safety and lake preservation guidelines to ensure that everyone can enjoy our lakes now and in the future.
Swimming Guidelines
Swimming near anchored boats, off anchored platforms, and swimming across the lakes are favorite activities during the summer months. Below are a few suggestions for swimming safely:
- Use a safety buoy attached to you or have a spotter in a boat when swimming across the lake.
- Watch for boats while swimming or floating off an anchored boat or platform.
- Using a personal flotation device (PFD) is recommended if swimming in the deeper parts of the lakes.
- Always swim with another person or use a spotter in a boat.
Boating Guidelines
Although Perch and Crystal Lakes are private lakes, owners must adhere to the State of Michigan boating laws and regulations, and the CLPL By-Laws. It's critical that boaters identify and avoid swimmers. Even a slow-moving electric pontoon boat can cause serious injury to a swimmer.
- Use caution and give a wide berth to anchored boats and swimmers (keep a safe distance).
- Note that there is a buoy marking a shallow area on the south side of the lake. Please take appropriate actions to avoid grounding your boat in this area. Also, please do not tie your boat to the buoy.
Additional Boating Guidelines:
- Only electric motors can be used on boats, and all vessels must move at a slow, no-wake speed, per the By-laws and Township Ordinance (See By-laws Article VIII, Section 1.1, and Somerset Township code
- There must be one appropriately sized U.S. Coast Guard Approved personal flotation device (PFD) for each passenger aboard all watercraft.
- Watercraft must be registered, per Michigan Boating Law.
- Be sure to thoroughly clean your watercraft and trailer before launching, to remove all invasive aquatic species, per Michigan Law.
- Boats must move in a counter-clockwise direction around the lake, per Michigan Law (Act 451 of 1994, 324.80149, Operation of vessels in counter-clockwise fashion).
- Smaller watercraft have the right-of-way.
- CLPL lot numbers are required on all watercraft. Stickers with lot numbers should be easily visible. Stickers are available free of charge at the CLPL Association annual summer meeting, or upon request.
Additional State of Michigan boating and fishing resources:
Fishing Guidelines
The Fishing Committee seeks to provide a quality fishing experience for owners and their family and friends by promoting conservation practices (for example, supporting native fish species), and fishing stocking activities.
Fishery Conservation Best Practices:
- Avoid fishing near spawning areas in the nearshore area of the lakes. Spawning is a critical time of year for the fish reproduction cycle.
- Release fish back into the lake that you do not intend to eat or do not meet the legal size requirements.
- Refer to the Michigan Fishing Guide to follow season, amount, and size requirements for catching fish that will not be released back into the lake.
Fish Stocking Program:
Donations to support fish stocking are voluntary. If you wish to donate to the stocking program, please indicate this specifically. (Click on the “Donate” link at the bottom of this page.)
The fish stocking program has introduced smallmouth bass, walleye, blue channel catfish, sunfish varieties, and fathead minnow forage species. To establish and maintain a sustainable fishery for these popular fish species, the Fishing Committee suggests daily limits for keeping or returning fish from Crystal and Perch lakes.
The Fishing Committee and Lake Foundation developed a brochure on Crystal and Perch Lakes & Fisheries – Conservation, Cooperation and Community which has additional information on these topics, including recommendations for daily limits.
Carp Harvesting:
Invasive carp can devastate the native fish population and if left unchecked, carp could become the dominant fish species in the lakes. Thus, the Fish Committee started the carp harvesting initiative to protect bass, panfish, and other native fish populations. Eliminating carp also minimizes the expense of fish stocking, and supports the native fish species natural reproduction (without requiring stocking). Eliminating carp is the best path to achieve these goals while protecting fish spawning beds.
Since 2017, lake community volunteers have eliminated more than 130 carp from our lakes. Carp harvesting is a spring activity, and we welcome your participation. Look for future announcements about dates for harvesting. Or, please contact the Fishing Committee if you would like to join the annual spring carp hunt organizing efforts. If so, see the Association page, complete the contact form and select: Fishing Committee.