Ben-way Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Ben-way Lake is mapped to a depth of 42 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 122 acres in Antrim County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey (depths read from the survey's isobath field; this lake's summary-depth column is blank in the source).
- Deepest sounding
- 42 ft
- Mean depth
- 16.5 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 122 acres
- Estimated volume
- 2,010 acre-ft · 655M gal
- Shoreline
- 2.76 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 10% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- Boat Launch
Additional depth details7 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–42 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 42 ft, 32 ft
Other waters with a public launch on this map: Wilson Lake. Their launches are not marked on the model — only Ben-way Lake’s own are.
26.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 42.8% is deeper than 20 ft; the survey shows 2 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.
Compare with another lakeProvenance
Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.
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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
- 45.10400, -85.25596
- MI DNR lake ID
- L12689
- Vertical exaggeration
- 2.25×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.3 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Ben-way Lake has a partly natural setting, generally sheltered geometry, some nearby classified roads. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.
Why this score?5 components
Included in the index
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Good | 15.3 of 30 | 61% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (10% forest, 48% wetland; 31% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Very Good | 15.6 of 25 | mean fetch 999 m · 3% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch |
| Watercraft controls | None identified | 7.5 of 15 | No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law. |
| Public access | Good | 12.8 of 15 | 1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 7 trailer spaces |
| Road isolation | Good | 8.4 of 15 | some nearby classified roads · 11 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,143 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 10% 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 — 10% forest and 48% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches2 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).
Crappie
PumpkinseedFishing 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.
Official rule text for this lake
“the minimum size limit for Muskellunge is 46-inches.” — FO-206
“no size limit on Northern Pike and up to five (5) Northern Pike may be retained in the daily possession limit with only one (1) 24-inches or greater.” — FO-206
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
Notable catches
Master Angler program · 2019–2021Master Angler catches recorded on this lake — too few to show a pattern, so they are listed individually.
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.
At the lake
community-mapped amenities · straight-line distanceBait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceBen-way Lake — common questions
How deep is Ben-way Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Ben-way Lake is 42 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 Ben-way Lake?
Ben-way Lake covers about 122 acres in Antrim County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Ben-way Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Ben-way Lake is 16.5 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Ben-way Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include crappie, pumpkinseed. The page shows the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Ben-way Lake?
No public launch for Ben-way Lake appears in the Michigan DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- municipal and private ramps are not in that source.
