Diamond Lake

Newaygo County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

25ft Max
depth

186 acres 5 contours Public access

Paddling Index56Mixedrestricted hours · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

0510152025

The lake

Survey readout

Diamond Lake is mapped to a depth of 25 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 186 acres in Newaygo County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 25 ft
Mean depth: 9 ft · estimated
Surface area: 186 acres
Estimated volume: 1,676 acre-ft · 546M gal
Shoreline: 3.39 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 5% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–25 ft
Recorded point soundings: 25 ft

57.8% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 6.8% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Newaygo County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 39 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: 43.60470, -85.81679
MI DNR lake ID: L22691
Vertical exaggeration: 2.83×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

Restricted hourswhole lake, as mapped

Official rule details1 rule

Restricted hours“Hours for high-speed boating and water skiing”

Where the mapped control areas and the official regulation language differ, the language governs. Official county watercraft controls.

Paddling

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

56 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Diamond Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, 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	9.8 of 30	47% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (32% forest, 14% wetland; 39% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	18.1 of 25	mean fetch 790 m · 3% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	Restricted hours	9.3 of 15	Restricted hours
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 9 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Mixed	5.9 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 37 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 3,317 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 5% 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 — 32% forest and 14% 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 & active stocking

3 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).

Largemouth Bass

Bluegill

Pumpkinseed

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Tiger Muskellunge (last planted 1983) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 3 species found here — 3 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.

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).

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).

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.

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).

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).

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 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 · 2000–2025

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.

11Catches recorded

3Species

Pumpkinseed6 recorded · to 10.2″ · latest 2024

Bluegill3 recorded · to 10.4″ · latest 2025

Largemouth Bass2 recorded · to 22.1″ · latest 2025

Biggest on record

Largemouth Bass22.1″ · 2002 · ice fishing · shiner

Largemouth Bass21″ · 2025 · spincasting · live bait

Bluegill10.4″ · 2021 · still fishing · combination

Bluegill10.2″ · 2009 · still fishing · crawler

Pumpkinseed10.2″ · 2000 · drift fishing · worm

Bait: live bait (4) · combination (1) · crawler (1)
Method: spincasting (6) · still fishing (3) · ice fishing (1) · drift fishing (1)

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.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1979–1983

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

Tiger muskellunge3,315 stocked · 1979–1983 · 5 plantings

No stockings recorded since 1983 — shown as history.

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

2 records

Other invertebrates

Freshwater Jellyfish

Fish

Flathead Catfish

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

⛻ Campgroundon the lake · 4 mapped

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 3 mapped

🏖 Beach / swim areaon the lake

🥾 Hiking trailhead≈0.1 mi

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

Big Bear Sports and Hardware≈5.6 mi7342 N Woodbridge, White Cloud · Google · Apple

Hesperia Sport Shop≈11.5 mi · (231) 854-396565 W Alpha St, Hesperia · Google · Apple

Hilltop EZ Mart≈11.8 mi · (231) 689-64706398 E 36th St, White Cloud · 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

Diamond Lake — common questions

How deep is Diamond Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Diamond Lake is 25 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 Diamond Lake?

Diamond Lake covers about 186 acres in Newaygo County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Diamond Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Diamond Lake is 9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Diamond Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Diamond Lake?

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