East Lake

Luce County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

22ft Max
depth

130 acres 5 contours Public access

Paddling Index45Modestsheltered geometry

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Depth scale

0510152022

The lake

Survey readout

East Lake is mapped to a depth of 22 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 130 acres in Luce County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 22 ft
Mean depth: 10.8 ft · estimated
Surface area: 130 acres
Estimated volume: 1,399 acre-ft · 456M gal
Shoreline: 2.32 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 3% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–22 ft
Recorded point soundings: 22 ft

45.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 3.3% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Luce County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 64 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: 46.30602, -85.65534
MI DNR lake ID: L24684
Vertical exaggeration: 2.93×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Paddling

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

45 / 100ModestData confidence: High

East Lake has a substantially developed setting, generally 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	Modest	0.6 of 30	24% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (17% forest, 7% wetland; 63% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	19.0 of 25	mean fetch 717 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short 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 · 1 ramp lane · 2 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Mixed	5.2 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 4 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 4,259 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 3% 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 — 17% forest and 7% 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

10 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

Largemouth Bass

White Sucker

Brown Bullhead

Yellow Perch

Bluegill

Rock Bass

Pumpkinseed

Golden Shiner

Central Mudminnow

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 1999) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 10 species found here — 9 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

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.

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

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

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

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).

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

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 · 2019–2022

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

Largemouth Bass22″ · 2019 · spincasting

Pumpkinseed9.2″ · 2022 · spincasting · live bait

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 2006

2,301Fish sampled

10Species

Gamefish Northern Pike 193 · Largemouth Bass 28

Panfish Bluegill 689 · Rock Bass 503 · Pumpkinseed 332

All survey species10 species

Gamefish

Northern Pike193 caught

Largemouth Bass28 caught

Panfish

Bluegill689 caught

Rock Bass503 caught

Pumpkinseed332 caught

Yellow Perch260 caught

Bullhead & catfish

Brown Bullhead111 caught

Forage & nongame

Golden Shiner182 caught

Central Mudminnow2 caught

White Sucker1 caught

Stocking: Smallmouth bass were stocked from 1922 to 1927 (except 1925).

This survey reported catch counts without lengths. Source: Michigan DNR Status of the Fishery Resource report (counts summed across survey years).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1990–1999

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

Walleye19,225 stocked · 1991–1999 · 10 plantings

Largemouth bass4,000 stocked · 1990

No stockings recorded since 1999 — shown as history.

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

1 record

Plants & algae

Eurasian Watermilfoil

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 distance

Helmer House Inn & Mercantile≈3.9 mi · (906) 586-61312747 CO Rd 377, Mcmillan · Google · Apple

Mark's Rod & Reel Repair≈7 mi7167 State Hwy M-123, Newberry · Google · Apple

Fish & Hunt Shop≈8 miW17148 Main St, Curtis · 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

East Lake — common questions

How deep is East Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of East Lake is 22 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 East Lake?

East Lake covers about 130 acres in Luce County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of East Lake?

The estimated mean depth of East Lake is 10.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in East Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, brown bullhead, pumpkinseed, rock bass. The page lists all 10 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to East Lake?

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