Lake Rupert: Damselflies' Playground

4 July 2015

Lake #48        Lake Rupert, Wellston Wildlife Area, Vinton County

Lake Rupert is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The 327-acre lake is located approximately one mile north of the town of Hamden. The west side of the lake runs along State Route 683, one half mile north of its intersection with State Route 93. There is a gas station with a convenience store and restrooms at this intersection. This is the only business I saw for miles, so if you need something this is the only place to get it. Lake Rupert was built in 1969 to provide a water supply for the city of Wellston, located approximately 5 miles south of the lake, and for public recreation. The l,298-acre Wellston Wildlife Area surrounds the lake.

Lake Rupert 

Lake Rupert has one boat ramp; it is located at the lake’s midpoint off State Route 683. There are no facilities at the lake. There are several spots along State Route 683 where you could put in a kayak.  I chose to put in on the north end opposite the Lake Road parking area. Lake Rupert has a maximum depth of 24 feet at its southern end, near the dam, but most of the lake is in the 3 to 12 foot range.

Lake Rupert Boat Ramp 

My Put In at the Northwestern Section of the Lake

Looking East Across the Lake From the Put In

Looking South From the Put In 

Looking North From the Put In 

Plenty of Room for a Car and Trailer at the Put In 

Lake Rupert has no limits on horsepower but motorized boats must operate at no wake speed. What is no wake speed? Wake speed seems to be whatever speed the boater deems to go. While I didn’t have any issues on this lake, several times I have been paddling in a “no wake zone” and had boats zoom past me. The definition of no wake speed is the speed at which there is no “white” water in the track or path of the vessel or in created waves near the vessel. Basically, this means no speed in excess of 5 miles per hour. I think allowing boats without a horsepower limit is just too much temptation for most boaters; traveling at or below idle speed is tough when you have all that speed available. It would be so much better for kayakers if the Ohio Department of Natural Resources would just establish a limit to 10 horsepower motors.  

Upon putting in, I headed north to where Little Raccoon Creek enters the lake. Little Raccoon Creek is the largest tributary of Raccoon Creek that starts near Lake Hope (the same lake that I will be paddling later today) in Hocking County and travels south to empty into the Ohio River. The northern end of the lake is filled with pink water lilies. I watched a bee working his pollination magic.

Paddling Northwest From the Put In

Field of Pink Water Lilies 

My Hubby and Paddling Buddy for the Day in the Background

Watching One of the Many Miracles of Nature 

The End of the "Road" 

As I was paddling south I had a bald eagle fly overhead; unfortunately, the eagle was too far off for a good photo. Closer at hand were numerous dragonflies and damselflies. There were several bluet damselflies that hitched a ride on my kayak and flew around me as I paddled. I decided to name the baby duck for this lake Bluet in honor of their beauty.

Heading South 

A Type of Bluet Damselflies

Baby Duck Bluet  

I continued heading south until I came to the large eastern arm of the lake. There, I saw a couple fishing; the only other boat out on the water. I was surprised that there were not more people at the lake since it was a holiday. I also saw some cool mushrooms growing along the bank and was visited by many more damselflies. I paddled until I reached the end of the arm and then took a little relaxation break.

Heading South to Eastern Arm

Heading Into Eastern Arm

Eastern Arm of Lake Rupert

Cool Mushrooms Along the Bank 

End of the Arm

Soaking Up Some Rare Ohio Sunshine 

After soaking up some sunshine, it was time to paddle back to the trunk of the lake and paddle north back to the put in.

Heading Out of the Arm 

Back on the Main Body of the Lake 

The Wellston Wildlife Area surrounding the lake is a mixture of woodlands, brush land, and open land. The eastern side of the lake, including the arm, is much more scenic than the western side. There are suppose to be beaver well established on the lake but I did not see any evidence of beaver activity. I also didn’t see any of the resident wood ducks. But I did not paddle the area south of the boat ramp leading to the dam. Access to the dam by land is gained from a parking area located off Highway 93; I do not know if it would be a good put in spot. 

May all your roads end in water,

Mama Duck Mona