Coldwater Lake
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Coldwater Lake is mapped to a depth of 65 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 286 acres in Isabella 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
- 65 ft
- Mean depth
- 32.6 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 286 acres
- Estimated volume
- 9,341 acre-ft · 3,044M gal
- Shoreline
- 3.65 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details10 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–65 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 65 ft
16.4% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 72.3% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
- 43.66106, -84.95607
- MI DNR lake ID
- L6453
- Vertical exaggeration
- 1.47×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.5 MB
Watercraft rules
county-enforced local controls · MI DNROfficial rule details1 rule
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Coldwater Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Restricted hours.
Why this score?5 components
Included in the index
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Mixed | 10.0 of 35 | 46% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (9% forest, 33% wetland; 39% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Good | 15.6 of 29 | mean fetch 1,254 m · 3% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch |
| Watercraft controls | Restricted hours | 10.9 of 18 | Restricted hours |
| 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 | 6.3 of 18 | nearby higher-volume roads · 30 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 2,704 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 1% 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 — 9% forest and 33% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches, DNR surveys & active stocking20 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
Common Carp
Bowfin
Walleye
Silver Redhorse
Golden Redhorse
Largemouth Bass
White Sucker
Quillback
Smallmouth Bass
Brown BullheadBullhead
Black CrappieCrappie
Yellow Bullhead
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Rock Bass
Pumpkinseed
Green SunfishFishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 20 species found here — 20 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 · 2005–2025Trophy-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.
Catch details by species9 species
Biggest on record
Bait: artificial lure (4) · live bait (2)
Method: still fishing (8) · spincasting (7) · bowfishing (2)
Fishery
DNR SFR 2010-91Gamefish Smallmouth Bass 46 · Walleye 28 · Largemouth Bass 20 · Bowfin 8
Panfish Bluegill 467 · Rock Bass 245 · Yellow Perch 179
All survey species16 species
Gamefish
Panfish
Bullhead & catfish
Forage & nongame
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 1984–2018Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
Non-native species records
1 recordFish
- Gizzard Shad
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.
Bait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceColdwater Lake — common questions
How deep is Coldwater Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Coldwater Lake is 65 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 Coldwater Lake?
Coldwater Lake covers about 286 acres in Isabella County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Coldwater Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Coldwater Lake is 32.6 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Coldwater Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, black crappie, bluegill. The page lists all 20 species and the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Coldwater Lake?
No public launch for Coldwater 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.
