The legend of Lake Usma says…
…in ancient times all the lakes flew in the air and they had to wait until someone gave it a name before they could land. So the lake flew, until one day a mother with a small child was walking home from sauna. The child saw a black flying lake and shouted – “…usmīgs, …usmīgs”. Then the lake fell and Lake Usma was created – the lake of “Land of Mist”, if it is translated from the Liv language. Each horn on the shore of the lake, the bay, has names given by its ancestors. One of the islands in the lake, Moricsala, bears the name of Saxon Moritz, the grandfather of Georges Sands.
Lake Usma – according to the latest measurements, it is the fourth largest lake in Latvia. Its length – 13.5 km, width – 4.5 km, area – 41.1 km². The lake is a remnant of the Baltic Ice Lake. Maximum depth – 27m. In terms of volume – 205 million m2 – the second largest in Latvia. The length of the coastline is 73.6 km. The lake is located in Ventspils region, on the border with Talsi and Kuldiga regions. There are seven islands in the lake – Viskūži (the largest island in Latvia), Moricsala (nature reserve), Lielalksnīte, Mazalksnīte, Zossaliņa, Dvīnītes. Despite the depth – a lot of shoals makes the lake attractive. The shores of the lake are mostly flat and sandy, surrounded by forests. 10 rivers flow into Usma – Tīrukšupe, Godele, Melncelma, Meķupe, Sērža, Ostupe, Baņģava, Struncene, Riekte, Kāņupe. Only one river flows out of Usma – Engure. It flows into Lake Puze. The Rinda River flows out of the lake, which later joins the Stende River to form the Irbi, which in turn flows into the Baltic Sea. The lake is suitable for lovers of active recreation, boat adventures and those who love to swim. A popular place for sailing and fishing.
There are more than 25 species of fish in the lake – eel, pikeperch, pike, perch, whitefish, tench, roach, carp, crucian carp and others.
If you plan to go fishing in Lake Usma, purchase a fishing license for Lake Usma at our holiday centre “Usmas Meķi” or use the option provided by the e-Loms service – purchase of electronic licenses and registration of a catch.
Comparing the amount of fish caught in Usma and several other lakes in Latvia, the composition of fish species in Lake Usma is considered typical for moderate temperate zone. The fish composition is dominated by perch, roach and bream in terms of biomass and numbers. The total biomass of all fish species is considered to be average. The catch structure shows a moderately high proportion of predatory fish, which can be explained by the suitability of Lake Usma as a habitat for perch, pikeperch, pike and other predatory fish species. However, for example, the relatively high proportion of juvenile perch in the population indicates an excessive anthropogenic load, which has gradually led to a decrease in the proportion of large size perch.