Hunter Lake

Montcalm County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

48ft Max
depth

48 acres 6 contours Public access

Paddling Index76Goodwooded shoreline · away from major roads · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

052030344048

The lake

Survey readout

Hunter Lake is mapped to a depth of 48 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 48 acres in Montcalm County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 48 ft
Mean depth: 18.8 ft · estimated
Surface area: 48 acres
Estimated volume: 906 acre-ft · 295M gal
Shoreline: 1.71 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 4% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–48 ft
Recorded point soundings: 48 ft, 34 ft

35.4% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 51% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Montcalm County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 26 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: 43.30022, -85.26985
MI DNR lake ID: L17296
Vertical exaggeration: 2.05×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

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

76 / 100GoodData confidence: High

Hunter Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, generally 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

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Excellent	25.2 of 30	86% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (68% forest, 18% wetland; 8% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	20.7 of 25	mean fetch 632 m · 17% 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 · 1 trailer space
Road isolation	Very Good	10.3 of 15	limited nearby major-road exposure · 8 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 3,819 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: Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 4% 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 — 68% forest and 18% 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

4 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

Crappie

Bluegill

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 4 species found here — 4 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).

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).

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.

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)

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. 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 · 2010–2025

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.

5Catches recorded

4Species

Northern Pike2 recorded · to 41″ · latest 2025

Bluegill1 recorded · to 10.8″ · latest 2010

Crappie1 recorded · to 15.8″ · latest 2021

Largemouth Bass1 recorded · to 21.8″ · latest 2024

Biggest on record

Northern Pike41″ · 2018 · trolling

Northern Pike40.5″ · 2025 · trolling · artificial lure

Largemouth Bass21.8″ · 2024 · spincasting · artificial lure

Crappie15.8″ · 2021 · spincasting · artificial lure

Bluegill10.8″ · 2010 · still fishing · worms

Bait: artificial lure (3) · worm (1)
Method: trolling (2) · spincasting (2) · still fishing (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.

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.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Magnum Sports≈6.5 mi6227 S Greenville Rd, Greenville · Google · Apple

Twin Ponds Sports Shop Inc≈9.9 mi6050 S State Rd, Stanton · Google · Apple

Salder's Great Outdoors LLC≈10.7 mi3160 W Howard City Edmore Rd, Six Lakes · 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

Hunter Lake — common questions

How deep is Hunter Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Hunter Lake is 48 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 Hunter Lake?

Hunter Lake covers about 48 acres in Montcalm County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Hunter Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Hunter Lake is 18.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Hunter Lake?

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

Is there public access to Hunter Lake?

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