Crystal Lake

Montcalm County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

70ft Max
depth

714 acres 14 contours Public access

Paddling Index35Modest

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Depth scale

0515243040506070

The lake

Survey readout

Crystal Lake is mapped to a depth of 70 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 714 acres in Montcalm County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 70 ft
Mean depth: 13.3 ft · estimated
Surface area: 714 acres
Estimated volume: 9,504 acre-ft · 3,097M gal
Shoreline: 4.66 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch · Rec Passport

Additional depth details14 contours

Contour depths: 0–70 ft
Recorded point soundings: 70 ft, 53 ft, 24 ft

57.8% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 30.8% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Montcalm County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 26 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

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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: 43.26037, -84.93403
MI DNR lake ID: L6111
Vertical exaggeration: 1.4×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Paddling

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

35 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Crystal Lake has a substantially developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, 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	Modest	0.6 of 30	7% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (2% forest, 4% wetland; 66% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	9.4 of 25	mean fetch 1,806 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 · 3 ramp lanes · 47 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Mixed	4.7 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 61 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,909 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: Limited — 2% forest and 4% 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 angler catches, DNR surveys & active stocking

14 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

Bowfin

Channel Catfish

Walleye

Largemouth Bass

Bass

White Bass

Black Crappie

Crappie

Yellow Perch

Bluegill

Rock Bass

Hybrid Sunfish

Pumpkinseed

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 14 species found here — 13 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.

Northern PikeSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below

BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: 14" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 5 is in any combination of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, not 5 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.

BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: 14" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 5 is in any combination of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, not 5 of each (FO-215.23A).

Black CrappieOpen 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).

BluegillOpen 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).

BowfinOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Channel CatfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: 12" · Daily limit: 10 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

CrappieOpen 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).

Hybrid 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).

Largemouth BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: 14" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland) The 5 is in any combination of Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, not 5 of each (FO-215.23A).

Northern PikeSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below

PumpkinseedOpen 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).

Rock BassOpen 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).

WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

White BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 10 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

Yellow PerchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

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 registered Master Angler catches, Michigan DNR fishery surveys and 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.

Notable catches

Master Angler program · 1996–2025

Trophy-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.

36Catches recorded

9Species

Bluegill13 recorded · to 11.8″

Pumpkinseed9 recorded · to 10.8″

Crappie5 recorded · to 16.5″

Rock Bass4 recorded · to 12″

Catch details by species9 species

Bluegill13 recorded · to 11.8″ · latest 2024

Pumpkinseed9 recorded · to 10.8″ · latest 2025

Crappie5 recorded · to 16.5″ · latest 2025

Rock Bass4 recorded · to 12″ · latest 2017

Bowfin1 recorded · to 28.4″ · latest 2012

Channel Catfish1 recorded · to 35.6″ · latest 2015

Largemouth Bass1 recorded · to 24″ · latest 2003

White Bass1 recorded · to 16.8″ · latest 1999

Yellow Perch1 recorded · to 14.1″ · latest 2016

Biggest on record

Channel Catfish35.6″ · 2015 · still fishing

Bowfin28.4″ · 2012 · still fishing · bluegill

Largemouth Bass24″ · 2003 · still fishing · night crawler

White Bass16.8″ · 1999 · drift fishing

Crappie16.5″ · 1997 · spincasting

Bait: live bait (5) · artificial lure (3) · crawler (3)
Method: still fishing (16) · spincasting (8) · ice fishing (5) · trolling (3)

Master Angler entries are fish that met the program’s minimum size and were registered by the angler — they show what this lake has produced, not what a day here will produce. A catch on record is history, not a species listing: “Fish you might catch” lists only species with current evidence. Source: Michigan DNR Master Angler data.

Fishery

surveyed 2021 · DNR SFR 2022-339

1,089Fish sampled

9Species

Gamefish Walleye 517 · Northern Pike 207

Panfish Bluegill 256 · Rock Bass 25 · Pumpkinseed 14

All survey species9 species

Gamefish

Walleye517 caught · to 27″

Northern Pike207 caught · to 34″

Panfish

Bluegill256 caught · to 9″

Rock Bass25 caught · to 10″

Pumpkinseed14 caught · to 8″

Hybrid Sunfish11 caught · to 10″

Yellow Perch4 caught · to 13″

Black Crappie3 caught · to 14″

Forage & nongame

Bass52 caught · to 20″

Stocking: A wide variety of fish species were stocked into Crystal Lake, including American Eel, Lake Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Bluegill, and sunfishes (most likely Pumpkinseed; Table 1).

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Michigan DNR Status of the Fishery Resource report (counts summed across survey years).

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.

Walleye2,089,268 stocked · 1979–2026 · 36 plantings

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

3 records

Mussels & snails

Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

Holly-leaf Waternymph
Starry Stonewort

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 distance

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 3 mapped

🎢 Playground≈0.1 mi · 3 mapped

From OpenStreetMap community mapping — shown only where something is mapped; an amenity missing here may still exist. Distances are straight-line. Verify before you rely on it. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

M-57 Surplus≈6.6 mi10425 E Carson City Rd, Carson City · Google · Apple

Twin Ponds Sports Shop Inc≈7.3 mi6050 S State Rd, Stanton · Google · Apple

M-46 Bait & Tackle≈10.8 mi11220 Howard City Edmore Rd, Riverdale · 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

Crystal Lake — common questions

How deep is Crystal Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Crystal Lake is 70 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 Crystal Lake?

Crystal Lake covers about 714 acres in Montcalm County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Crystal Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Crystal Lake is 13.3 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Crystal Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black crappie, bluegill. The page lists all 14 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Crystal Lake?

Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 2 public access sites on Crystal Lake, including Crystal Lake - North.