Chaney Lake

Gogebic County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

15ft Max
depth

547 acres 3 contours Public access

Paddling Index67Mixedwooded shoreline

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Depth scale

051015

The lake

Survey readout

Chaney Lake is mapped to a depth of 15 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 547 acres in Gogebic County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 15 ft
Mean depth: 7.4 ft · estimated
Surface area: 547 acres
Estimated volume: 4,027 acre-ft · 1,312M gal
Shoreline: 7.21 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 18% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details3 contours

Contour depths: 0–15 ft
Recorded point soundings: 15 ft, 5 ft, 5 ft

57.2% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; the survey shows 3 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Gogebic County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 135 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.

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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: 46.31531, -89.91447
MI DNR lake ID: L36814
Vertical exaggeration: 12.0× below the waterline; land at true scale
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

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

67 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Chaney Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, moderate open-water exposure, 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	Excellent	25.0 of 30	82% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (36% forest, 46% wetland; 12% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	12.6 of 25	mean fetch 1,337 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water 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	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 4 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Good	9.1 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 5 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 597 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: Moderate — approximately 18% 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 — 36% forest and 46% 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

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

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 2000) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Rules that apply to this water, whatever you are fishing for.

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.

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.

Official rule text for this lake

“no size limit on Northern Pike and up to five (5) Northern Pike may be retained in the daily possession limit with only one (1) 24-inches or greater.” — FO-206

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 · 1987–2000

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

Walleye54,998 stocked · 1987–2000 · 9 plantings

No stockings recorded since 2000 — 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

Bear's Nine Pines Resort≈11.2 miN9426 State jwu M-64, Marenisco · 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

Chaney Lake — common questions

How deep is Chaney Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Chaney Lake is 15 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 Chaney Lake?

Chaney Lake covers about 547 acres in Gogebic County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Chaney Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Chaney Lake is 7.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Chaney Lake?

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