Idlewild Lake

Lake County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

22ft Max
depth

103 acres 6 contours Public access

Paddling Index63Mixedsheltered geometry · whole-lake slow-no-wake · carry-in access

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Depth scale

051011152022

The lake

Survey readout

Idlewild Lake is mapped to a depth of 22 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 103 acres in Lake 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: 22 ft
Mean depth: 8.8 ft · estimated
Surface area: 103 acres
Estimated volume: 907 acre-ft · 295M gal
Shoreline: 3.77 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–22 ft
Recorded point soundings: 22 ft, 22 ft, 22 ft, 11 ft

60.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 7.8% is deeper than 20 ft; the survey shows 2 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Lake County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 40 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: 43.88911, -85.78312
MI DNR lake ID: L22204
Vertical exaggeration: 2.93×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.6 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

Slow — no wakewhole lake, as mapped

Official rule details1 rule

Slow — no wake“Hours for slow--no wake speed”

Where the mapped control areas and the official regulation language differ, the language governs. Official county watercraft controls.

Paddling

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

63 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Idlewild Lake has a substantially developed setting, well sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Whole-lake slow-no-wake.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Modest	3.5 of 30	33% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (24% forest, 9% wetland; 55% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	24.5 of 25	mean fetch 485 m · 61% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	Whole-lake slow-no-wake	13.8 of 15	Slow — no wake
Public access	Excellent	15.0 of 15	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · carry-in launch
Road isolation	Mixed	5.8 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 152 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 5,509 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 2% 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 — 24% forest and 9% 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

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).

Northern Pike

Bluegill

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.

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).

Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (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.

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 · 2008–2023

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

Northern Pike38.2″ · 2023 · trolling · artificial lure

Bluegill11.1″ · 2008 · still fishing · cricket

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

ShorePierBoat

State/Yates Township-managed · Free · Rustic restrooms · Paved parking

Amenities: Canoe/kayak launch

“Idlewild Lake is an excellent lake for bluegill, largemouth bass, and northern pike.”

Source: Michigan DNR Family Friendly Fishing.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Baldwin Bait & Tackle Inc≈4.3 mi9331 S M-37, Baldwin · Google · Apple

Big Bear Sports and Hardware≈14.1 mi7342 N Woodbridge, White Cloud · 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

Idlewild Lake — common questions

How deep is Idlewild Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Idlewild Lake is 22 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 Idlewild Lake?

Idlewild Lake covers about 103 acres in Lake County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Idlewild Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Idlewild Lake is 8.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Idlewild Lake?

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

Is there public access to Idlewild Lake?

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