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Indian Lake

Osceola County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
50ft Max
depth
60 acres 11 contours
Paddling Index76GoodMedium confidenceaway from major roads · sheltered geometry · wooded shoreline
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Indian Lake is mapped to a depth of 50 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 60 acres in Osceola County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding
50 ft
Mean depth
17.8 ft · estimated
Surface area
60 acres
Estimated volume
1,069 acre-ft · 348M gal
Shoreline
1.37 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation
10% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details11 contours
Contour depths
0–50 ft
Recorded point soundings
50 ft, 38 ft, 25 ft

29.8% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 38.9% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Chart data

Provenance

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
43.96230, -85.40003
MI DNR lake ID
L19927
Vertical exaggeration
1.98×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.2 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
76 / 100GoodData confidence: Medium

Indian Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, little 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 settingVery Good27.0 of 3581% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (63% forest, 17% wetland; 16% developed)
Geometric wind exposureVery Good24.8 of 29mean fetch 611 m · 18% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
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 isolationExcellent15.1 of 18relatively isolated from major roads · 4 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 126 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 10% 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 — 63% forest and 17% 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

3 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).

Bullhead
Bluegill
Rock Bass

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 3 species found here — 3 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).
BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)
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.
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).
BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)
Rock BassOpen 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).

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 · 2012–2013

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

Bullhead15″ · 2012 · spincasting · chicken liver
Bullhead14.5″ · 2012 · spincasting · chicken liver
Rock Bass11.5″ · 2013 · spincasting
Bluegill10.1″ · 2012 · spincasting · worm
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

1 record

Other invertebrates

  • Freshwater Jellyfish
What does non-native mean?

USGS records identify non-native species that have been documented for this lake or its shoreline. Non-native does not necessarily mean invasive, and historical records do not confirm current presence.

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
Buck country Bait & Tackle≈5.8 mi109 Mackinaw Trail, Leroy · Google · Apple
The Kountry Store LLC≈7.6 mi · (231) 832-7093660 N Main St, Hersey · Google · Apple
Paris Archery≈13.4 mi21820 Northland Dr, Pairs · 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

Indian Lake — common questions

How deep is Indian Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Indian Lake is 50 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 Indian Lake?

Indian Lake covers about 60 acres in Osceola County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Indian Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Indian Lake is 17.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Indian Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include bluegill, bullhead, rock bass. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Indian Lake?

No public launch for Indian 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.