Boot Lake

Schoolcraft County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

30ft Max
depth

102 acres 6 contours Public access

Paddling Index73GoodMedium confidencewooded shoreline · away from major roads · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

051015202530

The lake

Survey readout

Boot Lake is mapped to a depth of 30 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 102 acres in Schoolcraft 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 mapped contour: 30 ft
Mean depth: 12.5 ft · estimated
Surface area: 102 acres
Estimated volume: 1,266 acre-ft · 412M gal
Shoreline: 2.42 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 8% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–30 ft
Recorded point soundings: 30 ft

48.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 30% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Schoolcraft County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 95 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: 46.26562, -86.44921
MI DNR lake ID: L32514
Vertical exaggeration: 2.66×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.6 MB

Paddling

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

73 / 100GoodData confidence: Medium

Boot Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, generally sheltered geometry, limited nearby major-road exposure. 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	Excellent	30.1 of 35	85% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (46% forest, 36% wetland; 8% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	22.7 of 29	mean fetch 706 m · 7% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	None identified	8.8 of 18	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public access	Not listed	—	No DNR-listed access site. Township, county and road-end launches are not in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Very Good	11.1 of 18	limited nearby major-road exposure · 5 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 742 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 8% 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 — 46% forest and 36% 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 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

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

Largemouth Bassstocked

Bluegill

Rock Bass

Pumpkinseed

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 2015), Tiger Muskellunge (last planted 1990) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 4 species found here — 4 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.

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).

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).

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.

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).

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).

Rock BassOpen 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).

Official rule text for this lake

“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

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 · 2002–2023

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.

7Catches recorded

3Species

Bluegill5 recorded · to 11″ · latest 2023

Pumpkinseed1 recorded · to 10″ · latest 2020

Rock Bass1 recorded · to 11.4″ · latest 2006

Biggest on record

Rock Bass11.4″ · 2006 · still fishing · worm

Bluegill11″ · 2013 · still fishing · nightcrawler

Bluegill11″ · 2004 · still fishing · leaf worm

Bluegill10.8″ · 2004 · still fishing · leaf worm

Bluegill10.1″ · 2002 · still fishing · night crawler

Bait: leaf worm (2) · live bait (1) · night crawler (1)
Method: still fishing (6)

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 · 1984–2015

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

Walleye34,093 stocked · 1991–2015 · 11 plantings

Largemouth bass15,376 stocked · 1984–1991 · 5 plantings

Tiger muskellunge1,480 stocked · 1985–1990 · 4 plantings

No stockings recorded since 2015 — shown as history.

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.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Midway General Store≈11.1 mi · (906) 573-2450N251 Federal Forest Hwy 13, Wetmore · Google · Apple

Hillside Party Store East LLC≈13.1 miE9825 Co Rd H15, Munising · Google · Apple

Denman's Hardware Inc.≈13.8 mi320 E Superior St, Munising · 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

Boot Lake — common questions

How deep is Boot Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Boot Lake is 30 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 Boot Lake?

Boot Lake covers about 102 acres in Schoolcraft County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Boot Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Boot Lake is 12.5 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Boot Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, rock bass. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Boot Lake?

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