Eons ago, during pre-settlement times, the natural shallow water areas of many northern lakes were brimming with vast amounts of wood cover and plant life. Entirely undeveloped centuries ago, these lakes were pristine ecosystems. I could only wonder how virgin and unexploited our current fisheries were back then. As lakes became settled by vacationers and populated with secondary homes along their shorelines, their near-shore habitats were dramatically cleared out and altered to accommodate swimming beaches, the construction of boat houses, and other lake life activity. Rapidly, most of the natural habitats of lakes were eliminated. Fisheries suffered as a result. This created problems in the long run for many fish species. The destruction of spawning habitat and recruitment zones for young of the year fish has been the most evident. Many lakes, especially those with heavy development, still struggle with these issues presently. Fisheries and lake habitats will never be restored to what they were in the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Back then, rules and regulations for shoreline development and lake bed modifications didn’t exist like they do now