Bristol Lake

Barry County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

40ft Max
depth

139 acres 6 contours Public access

Paddling Index60Mixedsheltered geometry

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Depth scale

051015203040

The lake

Survey readout

Bristol Lake is mapped to a depth of 40 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 139 acres in Barry 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: 40 ft
Mean depth: 20.6 ft · estimated
Surface area: 139 acres
Estimated volume: 2,857 acre-ft · 931M gal
Shoreline: 4.09 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 5% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–40 ft
Recorded point soundings: 40 ft

Other waters with a public launch on this map: Long Lake. Their launches are not marked on the model — only Bristol Lake’s own are.

25% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 51.5% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Barry County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 47 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: 42.48661, -85.24685
MI DNR lake ID: L14396
Vertical exaggeration: 2.32×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

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

60 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Bristol 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	12.8 of 30	52% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (10% forest, 43% wetland; 30% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	19.4 of 25	mean fetch 723 m · 18% 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	2 sites with DNR boating-facility records · 2 ramp lanes · 7 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Good	7.8 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 16 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 4,941 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 5% 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 — 10% forest and 43% 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

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 Bass

Crappie

Redear Sunfish

Bluegill

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 2000) — 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).

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).

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).

Redear 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).

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 · 2015–2025

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.

10Catches recorded

4Species

Redear Sunfish5 recorded · to 11.2″ · latest 2025

Bluegill3 recorded · to 11.6″ · latest 2024

Crappie1 recorded · to 14.8″ · latest 2018

Largemouth Bass1 recorded · to 21.1″ · latest 2025

Biggest on record

Largemouth Bass21.1″ · 2025 · spincasting · artificial lure

Crappie14.8″ · 2018 · trolling

Bluegill11.6″ · 2015 · drift fishing · crawler

Redear Sunfish11.2″ · 2025 · spincasting · artificial lure

Redear Sunfish11″ · 2022 · still fishing · artificial lure

Bait: artificial lure (4) · live bait (4) · crawler (1)
Method: spincasting (3) · ice fishing (3) · still fishing (2) · trolling (1)

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 · 1998–2000

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

Walleye25,955 stocked · 1998–2000 · 4 plantings

No stockings recorded since 2000 — shown as history.

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

1 record

Plants & algae

Curly-leaf Pondweed

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

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 2 mapped

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

Ken's Sports Shop≈8.2 mi · (269) 623-6565126 E Orchard St, Delton · Google · Apple

Uncle Jake's @ Smiths Sport Shop≈9.9 mi · (269) 964-32211408 W. Michigan Ave, Battle Creek · Google · Apple

AL & Pete's Sport Shop≈11.4 mi111 S Jefferson St, Hastings · 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

Bristol Lake — common questions

How deep is Bristol Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Bristol Lake is 40 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 Bristol Lake?

Bristol Lake covers about 139 acres in Barry County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Bristol Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Bristol Lake is 20.6 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Bristol Lake?

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

Is there public access to Bristol Lake?

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