As a kid, I always loved hunting and fishing. And most of my friends loved hunting as well. So growing up in Scotland, South Dakota, this naturally was one of my favorite places to go. And it had incredible fishing. It would take minutes to catch as many crappie and bluegill as you could muster. We would ride our bikes out to the lake in the summer just to catch fish as long as we could before dark. It was a blast. I even remember when I got second place in a youth fishing tournament out at the lake with a three pound carp.
The lake was originally built in 1937. And was a recreational lake named after State Senator Henry Brown of Bon Homme County. And originally had a swimming area, camping/picnic spots, picnic shelter, and some playground equipment. As a kid I didn’t really care about most of that though. I just loved the fishing and hunting part of the lake.
So when I had heard the plans in 1991 to break the dam, and drain the lake, I became very concerned. Why would they ruin something so good? The answer. The lake started to push in. It was slowly silting shut. And the dam was in need of major repair. And with the dam connecting to the Jim River basin, a dam failure could be extremely serious or fatal. So I understood the reasoning.
But me and some of my friends couldn’t help but feel a bit sad to see the lake go. And there was a part of us, that thought we would never see the lake again. Lots of years of nostalgia went away with them pumping the water from the lake. A ton of fun times and memories seemed to fade away. And we really weren’t sure we would see the day that the lake was full again. We had even joked that we would be driving around in rocket powered wheel chairs before the day came that the lake would be refilled. Lucky for me, we were wrong.
In 2002, the money to rebuild the lake was finally available. In large part thanks to grants and groups. But a big part, was a huge community effort. People pulling together and wanting to see the lake again in their lifetime. And I’m sure a ton of them, had the very same memories I did. The town watched the construction of the dam. Then the lake slowly fill back in. We couldn’t help but feel eager to see what exactly the new lake would be? What would it look like? Would the fishing be as good? Just as sudden as the money was available, the lake seemed to come together. The dam was pushed back. The new ramp was built. And where the old dam was, a handicap dock was installed. It was an exciting time. There was even a joker that put an old water spigot into the lake. And made it look like it was being filled from the local water. This of course was only a joke. But around 2005, the lake was filled.
Is it the same lake though? No. It isn’t. It is a day use lake only. Meaning no camping or fires. There is definitely no real place to swim. And it is for fishing and hunting only.
But, there are also some huge improvements. The lake is much deeper. Tipping the scale at around 30 foot deep. With a large part of the lake being over ten foot. Which means it will take far longer for it to silt in. It also has a better variety of fish and much bigger ones. Instead of just crappie, bluegill, carp and bullheads. Now you can add perch, bass, and catfish to the list. And with a little effort, you can catch them. It also added some CRP. Which can be used for pheasants, ducks and deer. It is also a “no wake” lake. Which should cut down on some of the old lakes bank erosion problems. Overall, it is a very good lake. That promises to provide much better hunting and fishing.
When I think back to the old lake, there is a bit of sadness to it. It was a place my friends and I hung out. One of the first places I remember fishing. And just a ton of memories made. But if there is one constant in life, it’s that things change. And in this case, it was time. But it’s not all bad. After all, I took my son to a fishing tournament at the new lake. And have been fishing there with my wife. And we have even taken our kayaks on the lake. All of which are new memories, that I won’t soon forget. Maybe it’s the spirit of the original lake still alive and well. Or maybe change, is sometimes paving the way for the great things yet to come. Either way, I can’t wait to go to Lake Henry again.
Until next time.