Bear Den Lake

Presque Isle County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

33ft Max
depth

31 acres 8 contours Public access

Paddling Index95Excellentaway from major roads · high-speed boating prohibited · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

0251013203033

The lake

Survey readout

Bear Den Lake is mapped to a depth of 33 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 31 acres in Presque Isle County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 33 ft
Mean depth: 16.8 ft · estimated
Surface area: 31 acres
Estimated volume: 522 acre-ft · 170M gal
Shoreline: 0.93 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation: 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details8 contours

Contour depths: 0–33 ft
Recorded point soundings: 33 ft, 33 ft, 13 ft

36.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 44.4% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Presque Isle County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 35 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.

⚠ Not for navigation

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Map details & sources5 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 45.20265, -84.22202
MI DNR lake ID: L12207
Vertical exaggeration: 1.4×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 1.8 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

High-speed boating prohibitedwhole lake, as mapped

Official rule details1 rule

High-speed boating prohibited“High-speed boating and water skiing prohibited”

Where the mapped control areas and the official regulation language differ, the language governs. Official county watercraft controls.

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21

95 / 100ExcellentData confidence: High

Bear Den Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, little nearby major-road exposure. Watercraft controls: High-speed boating prohibited.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Excellent	29.5 of 30	93% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (28% forest, 64% wetland; 3% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	25.0 of 25	mean fetch 381 m · 96% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	High-speed boating prohibited	12.8 of 15	High-speed boating prohibited
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 4 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Excellent	15.0 of 15	relatively isolated from major roads · 1 MDOT-classified segment within 1.2 km, peak 59 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 1% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: High — 28% forest and 64% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public environmental, access, roadway and watercraft-control data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights: natural setting 30%, geometric wind exposure 25%, watercraft controls 15%, public access 15%, road isolation 15%; observed motorboat activity is weighted 0% because no defensible lake-level measurement exists. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Sources: MI DNR Boating Access Sites (2026-08), MI DNR Watercraft Control Areas (2026-08), USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2025) and MI DNR bathymetric survey outline (0 ft isobath). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from angler catches & active stocking

2 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).

Rainbow Troutstocked

Crappie

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Brook Trout (last planted 2013) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 2 species found here — 2 open to harvest.

These are hook-and-line size, daily limit and season rules. Gear, spearing and bow fishing, spawning closures and rod limits are set by other Fisheries Orders and are not shown here.

CrappieOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 25 is in any combination of the sunfishes — Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Black and White Crappie, Rock Bass, Green, Longear and Redear Sunfish, Warmouth and hybrids — not 25 of each (FO-215.23A).

Rainbow TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 12" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · Type B) Five (5) trout, except that the daily possession limit shall not include more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

Beta. This panel is newly published. Every value is parsed from the Michigan DNR fisheries orders and hand-checked against the printed digest, but the coverage and wording are still under review. If anything here disagrees with the Michigan DNR's Fisheries Orders or its printed digest, the DNR is right — the signed Fisheries Order is the legal text; the digest summarises it.

Designated Type B trout lake — season open for the entire year; tackle: all types of natural bait and artificial lures may be used.

From FO-206.26 (eff. 2026-04-01) / FO-215.23A (eff. 2023-09-15) / FO-254.25 (eff. 2025-10-10), checked against the 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations digest · verified 2026-08-24. Regulations can change — Michigan DNR rules are the controlling source; verify current regulations before fishing. Official regulations

Compiled from registered Master Angler catches and Michigan DNR stockings within the last 10 years. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Notable catches

Master Angler program · 2019–2020

Master Angler catches recorded on this lake — too few to show a pattern, so they are listed individually.

Crappie14.6″ · 2019 · ice fishing · wax worm

Crappie14.2″ · 2020

Master Angler entries are fish that met the program’s minimum size and were registered by the angler — they show what this lake has produced, not what a day here will produce. A catch on record is history, not a species listing: “Fish you might catch” lists only species with current evidence. Source: Michigan DNR Master Angler data.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 2004–2026

Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.

Rainbow trout46,861 stocked · 2004–2026 · 24 plantings

Brook trout18,883 stocked · 2005–2013 · 10 plantings

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

No non-native species recorded in the available dataset. This does not confirm that no non-native species are present.

Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying nonindigenous species records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

Public fishing access

MI DNR family-friendly fishing

ShoreBoat

Rustic restrooms

Amenities: Boat launch

“Nice family fishing spot. The best place to fish is around the boat ramp. The water is shallow and very little brush or over hanging branches. As a rule there is very little boat traffic so young anglers can fish with a hook and bobber and not have to deal with the wake.”

Source: Michigan DNR Family Friendly Fishing.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campground≈0.9 mi

From OpenStreetMap community mapping — shown only where something is mapped; an amenity missing here may still exist. Distances are straight-line. Verify before you rely on it. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Black River Party Store≈10.7 mi · (989) 733-24809720 M-68/33 Hwy, Onaway · Google · Apple

Atlanta Hardware≈14.2 mi12374 State St, Atlanta · Google · Apple

Dealers licensed by the Michigan DNR to sell live bait; listing is not an endorsement. Distances are straight-line, not driving — and call ahead: hours and stock change. Source: Michigan DNR retail bait dealer data.

Quick answers

Bear Den Lake — common questions

How deep is Bear Den Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Bear Den Lake is 33 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Bear Den Lake?

Bear Den Lake covers about 31 acres in Presque Isle County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Bear Den Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Bear Den Lake is 16.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Bear Den Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include rainbow trout, crappie. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Bear Den Lake?

Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 1 public access site on Bear Den Lake, including Bear Den Lake.