Budd Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Budd Lake is mapped to a depth of 30 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 164 acres in Clare 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
- 13.6 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 164 acres
- Estimated volume
- 2,229 acre-ft · 726M gal
- Shoreline
- 3.99 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- Boat Launch
Additional depth details5 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–30 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 30 ft
Other waters with a public launch on this map: Little Long Lake. Their launches are not marked on the model — only Budd Lake’s own are.
44.5% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 34.2% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
- 44.02337, -84.79641
- MI DNR lake ID
- L10311
- Vertical exaggeration
- 2.66×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.6 MB
Watercraft rules
county-enforced local controls · MI DNROfficial rule details1 rule
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Budd Lake has a substantially developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, substantial nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Restricted hours.
Why this score?5 components
Included in the index
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Modest | 0.6 of 30 | 20% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (17% forest, 1% wetland; 65% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Very Good | 16.8 of 25 | mean fetch 906 m · 9% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch |
| Watercraft controls | Restricted hours | 9.3 of 15 | Restricted hours |
| Public access | Good | 12.8 of 15 | 1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 9 trailer spaces |
| Road isolation | Modest | 0.8 of 15 | substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 145 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 10,499 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
- Limited — 17% forest and 1% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches & active stocking14 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).
Muskellunge
Northern Pike
Bowfin
Walleye
Largemouth Bass
Smallmouth Bassstocked
Bullhead
Black CrappieCrappie
Redear Sunfishstocked
Yellow Perchstocked
Bluegill
Rock Bass
PumpkinseedHistorically stocked, no recent evidence: Tiger Muskellunge (last planted 1984) — not shown above.
Fishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 14 species found here — 14 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.
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 · 1994–2025Trophy-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.
Catch details by species10 species
Biggest on record
Bait: artificial lure (10) · live bait (9)
Method: spincasting (23) · ice fishing (8) · trolling (8) · still fishing (6)
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 1979–2024Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
Complete stocking history3 older species
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 distanceBudd Lake — common questions
How deep is Budd Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Budd 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 Budd Lake?
Budd Lake covers about 164 acres in Clare County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Budd Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Budd Lake is 13.6 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Budd Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, black crappie. The page lists all 14 species and the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Budd Lake?
No public launch for Budd 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.
