Rankin Lake

Foley Matheson Park and Beach provides an accessible public waterfront on Rankin Lake, with a dock, picnic tables, gazebo, playground and washroom facilities. The lake is also suited to boating, paddling, swimming and fishing, with a public launch located nearby on Rankin Lake Road (Seguin Township, n.d.-a, n.d.-b).

Seguin Township maintains a gravel boat launch and dock at 233 Rankin Lake Road. Because Rankin Lake is comparatively compact and its water level is not regulated, boating is focused on recreation within the lake rather than long-distance cruising through a larger navigation system (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 2016; Seguin Township, n.d.-b).

Smallmouth bass are the dominant sport fish in Rankin Lake and were already documented during a 1927 biological survey. Largemouth bass and northern pike were introduced later, while yellow perch, cisco, rock bass and other species are also present. Several trout species were historically stocked, but the MNR reports limited success because only a small amount of deep, cold-water habitat is available (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 2016).

Foley Matheson Park and Beach provides the principal public swimming area associated with Rankin Lake. Seguin Township currently lists the waterfront park with a dock, picnic facilities, playground and washrooms, while the Rankin Lake public boat ramp also includes sandy beach access (Seguin Township, n.d.-a, n.d.-b).