Cable Lake

Cass County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

41ft Max
depth

92 acres 7 contours 40% weedy

Paddling Index59MixedMedium confidencemotorboats prohibited · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

05102030374041

The lake

Survey readout

Cable Lake is mapped to a depth of 41 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 92 acres in Cass County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 41 ft
Mean depth: 16.4 ft · estimated
Surface area: 92 acres
Estimated volume: 1,507 acre-ft · 491M gal
Shoreline: 3.74 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 40% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details7 contours

Contour depths: 0–41 ft
Recorded point soundings: 41 ft, 37 ft

36.3% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 45.8% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Cass County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 32 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: 42.06528, -86.19487
MI DNR lake ID: L26930
Vertical exaggeration: 2.29×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

Motorboats prohibitedwhole lake, as mapped

Official rule details1 rule

Motorboats prohibited“Motorboats prohibited”

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

59 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Cable Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Motorboats prohibited.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	9.1 of 35	44% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (22% forest, 22% wetland; 44% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	24.5 of 29	mean fetch 616 m · 12% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	Motorboats prohibited	17.6 of 18	Motorboats prohibited
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	Mixed	7.4 of 18	nearby higher-volume roads · 52 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 3,706 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: High — approximately 40% 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 — 22% forest and 22% 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 active stocking

No recent catch, survey, or stocking data for this lake.

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 2014) — not shown above.

Compiled from 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.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 2007–2014

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

Walleye800 stocked · 2007–2014 · 3 plantings

No stockings recorded since 2014 — 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

Happy Jake's LLC≈8.4 mi24992 Marcellus Hwy, Dowagiac · Google · Apple

Rice's Sports Center - 1≈10 mi · (269) 621-4216516 E Main St, Hartford · Google · Apple

Elinee bait & Tackle≈10.9 mi5605 Paw Paw Lake rd, Coloma · 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

Cable Lake — common questions

How deep is Cable Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Cable Lake is 41 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 Cable Lake?

Cable Lake covers about 92 acres in Cass County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Cable Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Cable Lake is 16.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Cable Lake?

No public launch for Cable 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.

More lakes in Cass County