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Hemlock Lake

Cheboygan County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
59ft Max
depth
4.9 acres 8 contours
Paddling Index83Very GoodMedium confidencesheltered geometry · wooded shoreline · away from major roads
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Hemlock Lake is mapped to a depth of 59 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 4.9 acres in Cheboygan County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding
59 ft
Mean depth
27.8 ft · estimated
Surface area
4.9 acres
Estimated volume
136 acre-ft · 44M gal
Shoreline
0.33 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation
1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details8 contours
Contour depths
0–59 ft
Recorded point soundings
59 ft

20.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 64.7% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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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
45.19985, -84.40720
MI DNR lake ID
L2909
Vertical exaggeration
1.67×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
0.3 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
83 / 100Very GoodData confidence: Medium

Hemlock Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, limited nearby major-road exposure. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingExcellent30.8 of 3588% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (81% forest, 7% wetland; 6% developed)
Geometric wind exposureExcellent29.4 of 29mean fetch 133 m · 100% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controlsNone identified8.8 of 18No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public accessNot listedNo 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 isolationVery Good13.7 of 18limited nearby major-road exposure · 7 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 694 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
High — narrow throughout — passing wakes would reach most of the water
Aquatic vegetation
Low — approximately 1% 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 — 81% forest and 7% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
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 & active stocking

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).

Brown Troutstocked
Brook Trout

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Rainbow Trout (last planted 1992) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

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

Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 1 (FO-254 · Type D) One (1) trout.
Brown TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 1 (FO-254 · Type D) One (1) trout.
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.
Designated Type D trout lake — season last Saturday in April - October 31; tackle: only artificial lures may be used. It shall be unlawful to use or possess live bait, dead or preserved bait, organic or processed food on any of the waters or on shore.
Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 1 (FO-254 · Type D) One (1) trout.
Brown TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 1 (FO-254 · Type D) One (1) trout.

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 · 2022–2025

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

Brook Trout15.6″ · 2022 · spincasting · artificial lure
Brook Trout15″ · 2025 · still fishing · 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.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1982–2026

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

Brook trout6,367 stocked · 2007–2026 · 25 plantings
Brown trout448 stocked · 1982–2020 · 2 plantings
Rainbow trout600 stocked · 1992 · 3 plantings

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.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance
⛻ Campground≈1.2 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
Black River Party Store≈14.1 mi · (989) 733-24809720 M-68/33 Hwy, Onaway · 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

Hemlock Lake — common questions

How deep is Hemlock Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Hemlock Lake is 59 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 Hemlock Lake?

Hemlock Lake covers about 4.9 acres in Cheboygan County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Hemlock Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Hemlock Lake is 27.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Hemlock Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brook trout, brown trout. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Hemlock Lake?

No public launch for Hemlock 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.