Harts Lake

Calhoun County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

40ft Max
depth

61 acres 6 contours

Paddling Index77GoodMedium confidencesheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

051015203040

The lake

Survey readout

Harts Lake is mapped to a depth of 40 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 61 acres in Calhoun County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 40 ft
Mean depth: 22.9 ft · estimated
Surface area: 61 acres
Estimated volume: 1,400 acre-ft · 456M gal
Shoreline: 2.05 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 19% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–40 ft
Recorded point soundings: 40 ft

19% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 64% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Calhoun County, Michigan · all 16 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: 42.30653, -85.28480
MI DNR lake ID: L16494
Vertical exaggeration: 2.32×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Paddling

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

77 / 100GoodData confidence: Medium

Harts Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, some nearby classified 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	34.2 of 35	93% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (48% forest, 44% wetland; 0% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	25.7 of 29	mean fetch 573 m · 21% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	None identified	8.8 of 18	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public access	Not listed	—	No DNR-listed access site. Township, county and road-end launches are not in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Good	8.5 of 18	some nearby classified roads · 8 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 6,574 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: Moderate — approximately 19% 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 — 48% forest and 44% 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 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

2 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

Largemouth Bass

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 2 species found here — 2 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.

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

Largemouth BassSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below

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.

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

Largemouth BassSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below

Official rule text for this lake

“the daily possession limit is zero (0).” — 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 fishery surveys. 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 · 2012–2022

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

Bowfin30″ · 2012 · still fishing · bluegill

Largemouth Bass23″ · 2022 · spincasting · artificial lure

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.

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

Shore

County-managed · Free · No bathrooms available restrooms · Dirt parking

Amenities: Walking trails

“Owned and managed by the Calhoun Conservation District, this lake and the surrounding 326 acres is ideal for passive recreational activities such as non-motorized boating, hiking, birding, cross-country skiing, photography, and of course, FISHING! Fishing is catch and release ONLY, there is no camping, and the lake must be accessed by foot via a short trail from the parking area.”

Source: Michigan DNR Family Friendly Fishing.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Uncle Jake's @ Smiths Sport Shop≈3.9 mi · (269) 964-32211408 W. Michigan Ave, Battle Creek · Google · Apple

Cary's Bait & Tackle≈7.5 mi1000 E Michigan Ave, Battle Creek · Google · Apple

Ken's Sports Shop≈14.7 mi · (269) 623-6565126 E Orchard St, Delton · 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

Harts Lake — common questions

How deep is Harts Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Harts Lake is 40 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 Harts Lake?

Harts Lake covers about 61 acres in Calhoun County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Harts Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Harts Lake is 22.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Harts Lake?

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

Is there public access to Harts Lake?

No public launch for Harts Lake appears in the Michigan DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- municipal and private ramps are not in that source.

More lakes in Calhoun County