Cedar Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Cedar Lake is mapped to a depth of 16 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 14 acres in Lapeer County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.
- Deepest sounding
- 16 ft
- Mean depth
- 6.5 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 14 acres
- Estimated volume
- 91 acre-ft · 30M gal
- Shoreline
- 0.58 mi · round
- Aquatic vegetation
- 21% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details4 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–16 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 16 ft
70.2% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
- 43.12556, -83.20473
- MI DNR lake ID
- L12200
- Vertical exaggeration
- 3.0×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 0.7 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Cedar Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, little 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 | 30.0 of 30 | 98% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (56% forest, 42% wetland; 1% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Excellent | 25.0 of 25 | mean fetch 273 m · 100% 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 | Excellent | 15.0 of 15 | 1 site with DNR boating-facility records · carry-in launch |
| Road isolation | Excellent | 12.1 of 15 | relatively isolated from major roads · 2 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 139 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
- Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
- Aquatic vegetation
- Moderate — approximately 21% 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 — 56% forest and 42% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches, DNR surveys & active stocking18 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).
Northern Pike
Channel Catfish
Largemouth Bass
White Sucker
Black Bullhead
Black CrappieCrappie
Lake Chubsucker
Redear Sunfish
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Creek Chubsucker
Warmouth
Hybrid Sunfish
Pumpkinseed
Green Sunfish
Golden Shiner
Central MudminnowHistorically stocked, no recent evidence: Rainbow Trout (last planted 1986) — not shown above.
Fishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 18 species found here — 17 open to harvest, 1 with a special rule or closed season.
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 · 1999–2025Trophy-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.
Biggest on record
Bait: live bait (2) · artificial lure (2) · night crawler (1) · shiner minnow (1)
Method: spincasting (3) · still fishing (2) · ice fishing (1)
Fishery
30 May to 1 June 2017 · DNR SFR 2021-318Gamefish Largemouth Bass 75 · Northern Pike 3
Panfish Bluegill 445 · Pumpkinseed 49 · Redear Sunfish 39
All survey species16 species
Gamefish
Panfish
Bullhead & catfish
Forage & nongame
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 1979–2017Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
Complete stocking history6 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.
Bait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceCedar Lake — common questions
How deep is Cedar Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Cedar Lake is 16 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 Cedar Lake?
Cedar Lake covers about 14 acres in Lapeer County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Cedar Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Cedar Lake is 6.5 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Cedar Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill. The page lists all 18 species and the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Cedar Lake?
No public launch for Cedar 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.
