Cary Lake

Branch County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

35ft Max
depth

76 acres 5 contours Public access

Paddling Index73Goodsheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

Get directions

Depth scale

0510203035

The lake

Survey readout

Cary Lake is mapped to a depth of 35 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 76 acres in Branch 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: 35 ft
Mean depth: 20.5 ft · estimated
Surface area: 76 acres
Estimated volume: 1,557 acre-ft · 507M gal
Shoreline: 2 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 4% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–35 ft
Recorded point soundings: 35 ft

27.3% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 58.6% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

Compare with another lake

Location

Branch County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 20 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

Spot an error? Send a correction

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: 41.90071, -85.10825
MI DNR lake ID: L21805
Vertical exaggeration: 2.49×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.1 MB

Paddling

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

73 / 100GoodData confidence: High

Cary Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume 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	Excellent	24.9 of 30	79% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (3% forest, 74% wetland; 6% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	21.7 of 25	mean fetch 588 m · 27% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
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	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 6 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Mixed	6.1 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 9 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 5,618 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 4% 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 — 3% forest and 74% 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 active stocking

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

Rainbow Troutstocked

Redear Sunfishstocked

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 2 species found here — 2 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.

Rainbow TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · Type C) Five (5) trout, except that the daily possession limit shall not include more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

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).

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.

Designated Type C trout lake — season open for the entire year; tackle: all types of natural bait and artificial lures may be used.

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 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 · 1979–2026

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

Rainbow trout178,323 stocked · 1979–2026 · 46 plantings

Redear sunfish39,200 stocked · 1991–1993 · 3 plantings

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

Wrozek's Bit & Tackle≈4.8 mi · (517) 858-1223107 E Chicago St, Bronson · Google · Apple

Heinemann Taxidermy & Tannery≈5.4 mi90 W Garfield Ave, Coldwater · Google · Apple

JJZ Lake Party Store LLC≈7.4 mi597 S Angola Rd, Coldwater · 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

Cary Lake — common questions

How deep is Cary Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Cary Lake is 35 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 Cary Lake?

Cary Lake covers about 76 acres in Branch County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Cary Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Cary Lake is 20.5 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Cary Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include rainbow trout, redear sunfish. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Cary Lake?

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