Dickinson Lake

Oakland County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

68ft Max
depth

43 acres 13 contours Public access

Paddling Index77Goodsheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

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The lake

Survey readout

Dickinson Lake is mapped to a depth of 68 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 43 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 68 ft
Mean depth: 30.3 ft · estimated
Surface area: 43 acres
Estimated volume: 1,297 acre-ft · 423M gal
Shoreline: 1.96 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 4% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch · Rec Passport
In: Seven Lakes State Park · 1,481 ac

Additional depth details13 contours

Contour depths: 0–68 ft
Recorded point soundings: 68 ft, 65 ft, 63 ft, 54 ft, 17 ft

28.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 63.1% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Oakland County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 116 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: 42.80700, -83.66579
MI DNR lake ID: L12752
Vertical exaggeration: 1.4×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Paddling

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

77 / 100GoodData confidence: High

Dickinson Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, 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	Excellent	27.7 of 30	90% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (38% forest, 52% wetland; 6% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	25.0 of 25	mean fetch 419 m · 79% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
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 · 8 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Mixed	4.5 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 6 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 14,094 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 4% 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 — 38% forest and 52% 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

12 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

Walleye

Largemouth Bass

White Sucker

Black Crappie

Crappie

Grass Pickerel

Redear Sunfish

Bluegill

Hybrid Sunfish

Pumpkinseed

Green Sunfish

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Rainbow Trout (last planted 1985), Brown Trout (last planted 1981), Brook Trout (last planted 1981) — not shown above.

Fishing 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.

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).

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.

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

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).

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

Green 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).

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).

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).

Redear 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).

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

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

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 · 2019–2020

Master Angler catches recorded on this lake — too few to show a pattern, so they are listed individually.

Largemouth Bass22.5″ · 2019 · spincasting

Crappie15.6″ · 2020

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

DNR SFR 2011-111

1,107Fish sampled

11Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 41 · Grass Pickerel 3 · Walleye 3 · Bowfin 1

Panfish Bluegill 863 · Redear Sunfish 93 · Hybrid Sunfish 38

All survey species11 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass41 caught · to 15″

Grass Pickerel3 caught · to 8″

Walleye3 caught · to 23″

Bowfin1 caught

Panfish

Bluegill863 caught · to 8″

Redear Sunfish93 caught · to 8″

Hybrid Sunfish38 caught · to 6″

Pumpkinseed23 caught · to 7″

Black Crappie12 caught · to 14″

Green Sunfish9 caught · to 7″

Forage & nongame

White Sucker1 caught

Stocking: From 1973 to 1985, Dickinson Lake was managed as a special trout lake and was stocked annually with rainbow trout.

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Michigan DNR Status of the Fishery Resource report.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1979–2017

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

Walleye15,590 stocked · 2011–2017 · 4 plantings

Complete stocking history4 older species

Redear sunfish16,769 stocked · 1995–1997 · 3 plantings

Rainbow trout23,096 stocked · 1979–1985 · 10 plantings

Brown trout250 stocked · 1981

Brook trout100 stocked · 1981

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.

Public fishing access

MI DNR family-friendly fishing

PierBoat

State-managed · Yes, Rec Passport · Rustic restrooms · Paved parking

Amenities: Boat launch, grills, picnic tables, walking trails

“Lake is no wake and has a depth of 68 feet. The ramp and fishing pier are both ADA accessible. There is a fishing pier that is great for kids.”

Source: Michigan DNR Family Friendly Fishing.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 6 mapped

🏖 Beach / swim area≈0.4 mi

🎢 Playground≈0.5 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

Smithy's Exit 80≈3 mi2461 North Rd, Fenton · Google · Apple

Tyrone Party Store Inc≈7 mi9485 Center Rd, Fenton · Google · Apple

Norhtshore Market≈9.2 mi · (810) 735-503016177 S Seymour, Linden · 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

Dickinson Lake — common questions

How deep is Dickinson Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Dickinson Lake is 68 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 Dickinson Lake?

Dickinson Lake covers about 43 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Dickinson Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Dickinson Lake is 30.3 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Dickinson Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin, crappie. The page lists all 12 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Dickinson Lake?

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