NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Its history dates back nearly a century, but for the last several years, The Mariners' Lake hasn't been open to the public...until this past weekend.
“(We) closed in 2016. We haven’t had Jon boats and fishing available since 2015," said Kelly Garner, Program Manager for the lake.
It was due mostly to overfishing and erosion, Garner says. Since then, the staff from the adjacent Mariners' Museum and Park worked to reforest the shoreline with native trees. Fish population surveys confirmed the lake's health.
Saturday and Sunday marked the first time the public could return with Jon boats and, now, kayak rentals. Catch-and-release fishing is allowed, Garner says, for people 16 and over who are licensed.
The new launch point features an ADA accessible ramp and an adaptive kayak launch for people with mobility concerns or those who use a wheelchair.
Garner says people have been asking the museum for years when the lake would reopen and the weekend saw a lot of interest.
“We have so many people who have experienced fishing with family, friends, loved ones and the ability to be able to provide this is…It’s a very safe space for beginning paddlers, especially for younger paddlers or people with varying abilities to be able to get on the water," he told News 3.
When the launch stand opened Sunday morning, News 3 cameras caught several people in line to rent a boat. Bill Wallace, who lives in Newport News, came by to see if what he had heard was true, and was happy to find out it was.
“It’s great fishing out here. Calm waters. I used to swim in here as a kid, so I’m a hometown boy," he told News 3 excitedly.
According to Garner, the new launch space and equipment cost tens of thousands of dollars made possible by generous donations.
Next, the museum hopes to use grant dollars to make the rest of the space more accessible and build an area for education.
MORE:
- Hours of operation: Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Single kayak: $5*
- Tandem kayak: $8*
- Child kayak (under 12 years of age): $3*
- Jon boat: $8*
- Fishing Fee (on water): $3.00 per person, per day^ (boat rental fee is separate)
- Kayaks and Jon boat rentals are located at the Lake boathouse.
- Personal Jon boats, paddle craft, and trolling motors are not allowed at this time.
