Big Star Lake

Lake County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

25ft Max
depth

917 acres 3 contours Public access

Paddling Index52Modestslow-no-wake zones

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Depth scale

052025

The lake

Survey readout

Big Star Lake is mapped to a depth of 25 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 917 acres in Lake County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 25 ft
Mean depth: 10.6 ft · estimated
Surface area: 917 acres
Estimated volume: 7,663 acre-ft · 2,497M gal
Shoreline: 8.76 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details3 contours

Contour depths: 0–25 ft
Recorded point soundings: 25 ft

54.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 35.1% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Lake County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 40 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: 43.83432, -85.94942
MI DNR lake ID: L21374
Vertical exaggeration: 2.83×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

Restricted hourswhole lake, as mapped

Slow — no wakedesignated zones

Official rule details2 rules

Restricted hours“Hours for high-speed boating and water skiing”

Slow — no wake“Slow--no wake speed”

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

52 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Big Star Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, some nearby classified roads. Watercraft controls: Slow-no-wake zones.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	12.2 of 30	53% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (34% forest, 12% wetland; 31% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	9.2 of 25	mean fetch 1,852 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
Watercraft controls	Slow-no-wake zones	10.2 of 15	Restricted hours; Slow — no wake — designated zones only
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 2 ramp lanes · 50 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Good	7.2 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 49 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,925 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 2% 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: Moderate — 34% forest and 12% 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, DNR surveys & active stocking

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

Northern Pike

Walleyestocked

Largemouth Bass

White Sucker

Smallmouth Bass

Black Crappie

Crappie

Bluegill

Pumpkinseed

Green Sunfish

Bluntnose Minnow

Blacknose Shiner

Iowa Darter

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Tiger Muskellunge (last planted 1991) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 13 species found here — 13 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.

Black 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).

Blacknose ShinerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

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.

Blacknose ShinerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

BluegillOpen 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).

Bluntnose MinnowOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

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).

Green SunfishOpen 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).

Iowa DarterOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Largemouth BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: 14" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 5 is in any combination of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, not 5 of each (FO-215.23A).

Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

PumpkinseedOpen 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).

Smallmouth BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: 14" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 5 is in any combination of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, not 5 of each (FO-215.23A).

WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

White SuckerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

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, Michigan DNR fishery surveys 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 · 1999–2025

Trophy-size fish anglers caught here and registered with the DNR — what people have actually caught, distinct from what a survey netted or the state stocked below.

76Catches recorded

7Species

Bluegill46 recorded · to 11.5″

Crappie16 recorded · to 15.5″

Pumpkinseed7 recorded · to 10.5″

Largemouth Bass3 recorded · to 22.8″

Catch details by species7 species

Bluegill46 recorded · to 11.5″ · latest 2025

Crappie16 recorded · to 15.5″ · latest 2025

Pumpkinseed7 recorded · to 10.5″ · latest 2023

Largemouth Bass3 recorded · to 22.8″ · latest 2025

Northern Pike2 recorded · to 41.2″ · latest 2021

Green Sunfish1 recorded · to 9.6″ · latest 2022

Smallmouth Bass1 recorded · to 21″ · latest 2024

Biggest on record

Northern Pike41.2″ · 2011 · trolling

Northern Pike41″ · 2021 · trolling · artificial lure

Largemouth Bass22.8″ · 1999 · spincasting

Largemouth Bass22.2″ · 2025 · trolling · artificial lure

Largemouth Bass22″ · 2025 · trolling · artificial lure

Bait: live bait (29) · artificial lure (12)
Method: still fishing (32) · trolling (20) · spincasting (9)

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.

Fishery

DNR SFR 2017-229

333Fish sampled

8Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 1 · Northern Pike 1

Panfish Black Crappie 9 · Bluegill 7

All survey species8 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass1 caught

Northern Pike1 caught

Panfish

Black Crappie9 caught

Bluegill7 caught

Forage & nongame

White Sucker148 caught · to 21″

Bluntnose Minnow97 caught · to 3″

Blacknose Shiner41 caught · to 2″

Iowa Darter29 caught · to 2″

Stocking: According to official records, Big Star Lake was first stocked with fish in 1876 with Chinook Salmon and Lake Whitefish (Table 1).

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Michigan DNR Status of the Fishery Resource report (counts summed across survey years).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1980–2025

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

Walleye556,685 stocked · 1991–2025 · 21 plantings

Tiger muskellunge43,997 stocked · 1980–1991 · 13 plantings

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

2 records

Mussels & snails

Banded Mysterysnail

Other invertebrates

Freshwater Jellyfish

What does non-native mean?

USGS records identify non-native species that have been documented for this lake or its shoreline. Non-native does not necessarily mean invasive, and historical records do not confirm current presence.

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 distance

🥾 Hiking trailhead≈1.4 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

Baldwin Bait & Tackle Inc≈5 mi9331 S M-37, Baldwin · Google · Apple

Big Bear Sports and Hardware≈12.2 mi7342 N Woodbridge, White Cloud · Google · Apple

Fireside Grocery and Sport≈13.7 mi · (231) 936-10132007 N Benson Rd, Fountain · 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

Big Star Lake — common questions

How deep is Big Star Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Big Star Lake is 25 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 Big Star Lake?

Big Star Lake covers about 917 acres in Lake County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Big Star Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Big Star Lake is 10.6 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Big Star Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, black crappie, bluegill. The page lists all 13 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Big Star Lake?

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