Hart Lake

Oceana County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

29ft Max
depth

249 acres 13 contours Public access

Paddling Index45Modestsheltered geometry

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Depth scale

0461020222529

The lake

Survey readout

Hart Lake is mapped to a depth of 29 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 249 acres in Oceana 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 sounding: 29 ft
Mean depth: 11.1 ft · estimated
Surface area: 249 acres
Estimated volume: 2,754 acre-ft · 898M gal
Shoreline: 6.91 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 11% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details13 contours

Contour depths: 0–29 ft
Recorded point soundings: 29 ft, 27 ft, 23 ft, 22 ft, 22 ft, 22 ft

42% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 18.4% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Oceana County, Michigan · all 11 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: 43.70894, -86.36378
MI DNR lake ID: L18239
Vertical exaggeration: 2.69×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.5 MB

Paddling

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

45 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Hart Lake has a substantially developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, substantial 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	5.4 of 30	40% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (23% forest, 12% wetland; 39% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	18.0 of 25	mean fetch 822 m · 18% 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 · 8 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Modest	1.4 of 15	substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 79 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 5,542 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 11% 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 — 23% forest and 12% 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

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).

Northern Pikestocked

Channel Catfishstocked

Walleye

Rainbow Trout

Largemouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass

Crappie

White Perch

Bluegill

Hybrid Sunfishstocked

Pumpkinseed

Green Sunfish

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.

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).

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

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.

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).

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).

Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

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).

Rainbow TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

Smallmouth 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).

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

White PerchOpen 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 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 · 2001–2025

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.

30Catches recorded

9Species

Bluegill18 recorded · to 11.9″

Crappie3 recorded · to 16.1″

Pumpkinseed2 recorded · to 9.5″

Smallmouth Bass2 recorded · to 22.5″

Catch details by species9 species

Bluegill18 recorded · to 11.9″ · latest 2025

Crappie3 recorded · to 16.1″ · latest 2024

Pumpkinseed2 recorded · to 9.5″ · latest 2019

Smallmouth Bass2 recorded · to 22.5″ · latest 2023

Green Sunfish1 recorded · to 9.1″ · latest 2022

Largemouth Bass1 recorded · to 23″ · latest 2013

Rainbow Trout (Steelhead)1 recorded · to 32.5″ · latest 2025

Walleye1 recorded · to 31.5″ · latest 2009

White Perch1 recorded · to 11.5″ · latest 2001

Biggest on record

Rainbow Trout (Steelhead)32.5″ · 2025 · still fishing · live bait

Walleye31.5″ · 2009 · spincasting

Largemouth Bass23″ · 2013 · spincasting

Smallmouth Bass22.5″ · 2023 · spincasting · artificial lure

Smallmouth Bass22.1″ · 2017 · spincasting

Bait: live bait (15) · wax worm (5) · artificial lure (3)
Method: still fishing (13) · spincasting (10) · ice fishing (5) · trolling (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 · 1983–2025

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

Walleye3,859,968 stocked · 1983–2025 · 37 plantings

Complete stocking history5 older species

Northern pike18,028 stocked · 1988–1990 · 4 plantings

Channel catfish24,328 stocked · 1988–1989 · 2 plantings

Hybrid Sunfish25,021 stocked · 1988

Largemouth bass30 stocked · 1988

Smallmouth bass19 stocked · 1988

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

1 record

Fish

Brown Trout

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

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake

🎢 Playground≈0.3 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

Pentwater Convenience Center≈5.4 mi4374 W Monroe Rd, Pentwater · 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

Hart Lake — common questions

How deep is Hart Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Hart Lake is 29 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 Hart Lake?

Hart Lake covers about 249 acres in Oceana County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Hart Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Hart Lake is 11.1 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Hart Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, walleye. The page lists all 12 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Hart Lake?

Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 1 public access site on Hart Lake, including John Gurney Park.