Houghton Lake
depth
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Depth scale
The state-record Channel Catfish — 40 lb — was caught here in 1964. 41.5″
Survey readout
Houghton Lake is mapped to a depth of 21 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 19,592 acres in Roscommon County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.
- Deepest sounding
- 21 ft
- Mean depth
- 8.3 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 19,592 acres
- Estimated volume
- 162,853 acre-ft · 53,066M gal
- Shoreline
- 30.17 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 0% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- Boat Launch
Additional depth details16 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–21 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 21 ft, 20 ft, 20 ft, 20 ft, 20 ft, 17 ft
Other waters with a public launch on this map: Dead Stream Flooding, Higgins Lake, Marl Lake. Their launches are not marked on the model — only Houghton Lake’s own are.
66.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; the survey shows 2 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.
Compare with another lakeProvenance
Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.
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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
- 44.33720, -84.72101
- MI DNR lake ID
- L13107
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.2 MB
Watercraft rules
county-enforced local controls · MI DNROfficial rule details2 rules
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Houghton Lake has a substantially developed setting, long open-water fetch, substantial nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Slow-no-wake zones.
Why this score?5 components
Included in the index
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Modest | 0.6 of 30 | 12% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (2% forest, 9% wetland; 44% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Modest | 1.2 of 25 | mean fetch 8,792 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long open-water fetch |
| Watercraft controls | Slow-no-wake zones | 10.2 of 15 | Slow — no wake — designated zones only |
| Public access | Good | 12.8 of 15 | 3 sites with DNR boating-facility records · 14 ramp lanes · 237 trailer spaces |
| Road isolation | Modest | 0.8 of 15 | substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 571 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 12,744 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 0% 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 — 2% forest and 9% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches, DNR surveys & active stocking17 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).
Longnose Gar
Northern Pike
Common Carp
Bowfin
Channel Catfish
Walleye
Largemouth Bass
White Sucker
Smallmouth Bass
Bullhead
Crappie
Redear Sunfish
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Rock Bass
Hybrid Sunfish
PumpkinseedFishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 17 species found here — 16 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.
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
Notable catches
Master Angler program · 1960–2025Trophy-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.
Catch details by species17 species
Biggest on record
Bait: live bait (166) · leech (139) · crawler (53)
Method: still fishing (389) · drift fishing (184) · spincasting (162) · trolling (100)
Fishery
DNR SFR 2012-141Gamefish
Panfish
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 1979–2011Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
No stockings recorded since 2011 — shown as history.
At the lake
community-mapped amenities · straight-line distanceBait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceHoughton Lake — common questions
How deep is Houghton Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Houghton Lake is 21 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 Houghton Lake?
Houghton Lake covers about 19,592 acres in Roscommon County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Houghton Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Houghton Lake is 8.3 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Houghton Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill. The page lists all 17 species and the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Houghton Lake?
Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 5 public access sites on Houghton Lake, including Denton Township Park.
