Clear Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Clear Lake is mapped to a depth of 34 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 133 acres in Jackson County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.
- Deepest sounding
- 34 ft
- Mean depth
- 8.9 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 133 acres
- Estimated volume
- 1,181 acre-ft · 385M gal
- Shoreline
- 2.13 mi · lobed
- Aquatic vegetation
- 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details7 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–34 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 34 ft
58.8% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 6.1% is deeper than 20 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
- 42.33167, -84.14873
- MI DNR lake ID
- L9496
- Vertical exaggeration
- 2.52×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.4 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Clear Lake has a partly natural setting, generally sheltered geometry, 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 | Good | 15.6 of 35 | 59% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (42% forest, 16% wetland; 36% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Very Good | 21.7 of 29 | mean fetch 761 m · 2% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch |
| Watercraft controls | None identified | 8.8 of 18 | No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law. |
| 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 | Good | 7.8 of 18 | some nearby classified roads · 10 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 2,009 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 2% 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 — 42% forest and 16% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches, DNR surveys & active stocking12 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).
Bowfin
Channel Catfish
Smallmouth Bassstocked
Black CrappieCrappie
Redear Sunfish
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Rock Bass
Hybrid Sunfish
Pumpkinseed
Green SunfishFishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 12 species found here — 12 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 · 1995–2025Trophy-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 (7) · artificial lure (3) · wax worm (3)
Method: spincasting (9) · ice fishing (7) · still fishing (7) · drift fishing (1)
Fishery
Panfish Bluegill 361 · Redear Sunfish 228 · Pumpkinseed 18
All survey species8 species
Panfish
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 1987–1987Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
No stockings recorded since 1987 — shown as history.
Non-native species records
2 recordsOther invertebrates
- Freshwater Jellyfish
Fish
- Redear SunfishMichigan DNR stocking records also document Redear Sunfish stocking in this lake.
What does non-native mean?
USGS records identify non-native species that have been documented for this lake or its shoreline. Non-native does not necessarily mean invasive, and historical records do not confirm current presence.
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 distanceClear Lake — common questions
How deep is Clear Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Clear Lake is 34 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 Clear Lake?
Clear Lake covers about 133 acres in Jackson County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Clear Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Clear Lake is 8.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Clear Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, smallmouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin, crappie. The page lists all 12 species and the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Clear Lake?
No public launch for Clear 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.
