Łaśmiady Lake is located in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north of Ełk, in the Ełk Lake District. The easiest way to get to the lake is to take the national road no. 65. On the section between Ełk and Olecko lies the village of Straduny and here you should turn to the county road towards Wronki. It is about 3 kilometers to the lake. Roads run along the eastern, north-eastern and southern shores. The rest are forested and inaccessible.
The lake is quite a large reservoir for Polish conditions. It has 940 hectares of water surface area. The average depth is 9.6 meters and the maximum is 43.7 meters. Approximately the lake is rectangular in shape with a large bay facing north. The main flowing watercourse is Łaźna Struga, i.e. the upper section of the Ełk River, and the outflow – Ełk. In the south, the lake connects with the Straduńskie Lake with a short section of this river. In the west, it joins the strait with Lake Ułówki. There are two islands on the lake with a total area of 3.2 hectares.
Tourist offer
Łaśmiady Lake has an interesting tourist offer. Holidaymakers are attracted by such towns as Malinówka Wielka, Piaski, Sajzy, and Sikory Juskie. Public beaches are located in Malinówka, Piaski and Sajzy. It is surprising that neither of them has a parking lot. The roads are narrow and there is nowhere to stand even on the side of the road. It seems that the authorities are trying to attract only those who decide to stay for a few days. Accommodation is offered by agritourism farms, guesthouses and holiday centers. They usually have their own access to the lake shore.
The water is definitely clear. The surrounding villages have been channeled for a long time. You can also see the effects of the inhabitants’ work for many years. Over the past 25 years, water has been tested many times and the classification has changed from a third to a second. Currently, there are no signs of human activity in the water.
Łaśmiady Lake – fish
Łaśmiady Lake is leased by the Lake Farm in Ełk. In recent years, it has stocked the lake with the following species of fish: ide, crucian carp, roach, pike perch, whitefish, whitefish, pike, European catfish and European eel. Łaśmiady is an interesting and, most importantly, quite fishy water. The dominant fish is the bream. The lake is well stocked and cleaned with nets as well. Carps up to 10 kg are not uncommon, and there are also catfish of this size. There is a chance for eels at night. Perch mainly uses for spinning, although there are also nice pikes. In Łaśmiady, especially in summer, there are days or even weeks when the fish simply does not bite and the only option is to fish in the surrounding waters. Fishing from the ground is generally recommended.
Summary
Łaśmiady Lake is a good example of how a person can properly care for the natural environment. Here it was possible to combine the interests of local residents, tourists and fishermen with the possibilities of nature. The water quality is already good and it is constantly improving, there is a lot of fish and the owners of the guesthouses have guests.
