Indian Lake

Schoolcraft County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

15ft Max
depth

8,726 acres 3 contours Public access

Paddling Index45Modestcarry-in access

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Depth scale

051015

The lake

Survey readout

Indian Lake is mapped to a depth of 15 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 8,726 acres in Schoolcraft County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 15 ft
Mean depth: 8.3 ft · estimated
Surface area: 8,726 acres
Estimated volume: 71,917 acre-ft · 23,434M gal
Shoreline: 17.78 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch · Rec Passport

Additional depth details3 contours

Contour depths: 0–15 ft
Recorded point soundings: 15 ft

53.3% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Schoolcraft County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 95 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: 45.98246, -86.33241
MI DNR lake ID: L40882
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Paddling

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

45 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Indian Lake has a partly natural setting, long open-water fetch, nearby higher-volume roads. 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	Good	16.1 of 30	61% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (14% forest, 46% wetland; 25% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Modest	1.2 of 25	mean fetch 6,663 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long open-water 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	Excellent	15.0 of 15	3 sites with DNR boating-facility records · carry-in launch · 3 ramp lanes · 18 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Mixed	5.0 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 51 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 6,550 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 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: Moderate — 14% forest and 46% 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 & active stocking

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

Muskellunge

Northern Pike

Common Carp

Walleyestocked

Brown Trout

White Sucker

Smallmouth Bass

Brook Trout

Bullhead

Crappie

Yellow Perch

Bluegill

Rock Bass

Pumpkinseed

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Tiger Muskellunge (last planted 1990) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 14 species found here — 14 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).

Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

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.

Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

Brown TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Common CarpOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

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).

MuskellungeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 42" · Limit: 1 per angler per year (FO-215 · statewide inland) Not a daily limit: one Muskellunge per angler per license year (April 1 – March 31), and harvest must be registered within 24 hours at Michigan.gov/RegisterFish. Catch-and-immediate-release is open all year (FO-215.23A Note 3).

Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

PumpkinseedOpen 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).

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).

Smallmouth 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).

WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

White SuckerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Yellow PerchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (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 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 · 1995–2025

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.

38Catches recorded

13Species

Bluegill6 recorded · to 11.2″

Crappie5 recorded · to 14.8″

Northern Pike5 recorded · to 45″

Rock Bass5 recorded · to 12.4″

Catch details by species13 species

Bluegill6 recorded · to 11.2″ · latest 2025

Crappie5 recorded · to 14.8″ · latest 2021

Northern Pike5 recorded · to 45″ · latest 2024

Rock Bass5 recorded · to 12.4″ · latest 2025

Brook Trout4 recorded · to 19.5″ · latest 2025

Bullhead4 recorded · to 14.5″ · latest 2025

Muskellunge2 recorded · to 44″ · latest 1997

Smallmouth Bass2 recorded · to 22″ · latest 2014

Brown Trout1 recorded · to 24.5″ · latest 2025

Common Carp1 recorded · to 33.5″ · latest 1998

Pumpkinseed1 recorded · to 9.6″ · latest 2025

White Sucker1 recorded · to 21″ · latest 2009

Yellow Perch1 recorded · to 14.2″ · latest 2018

Biggest on record

Northern Pike45″ · 1998 · trolling

Northern Pike45″ · 1995 · still fishing · jig tipped w/crawler

Muskellunge44″ · 1997 · spincasting

Muskellunge43.5″ · 1997 · spincasting

Northern Pike42.4″ · 2020

Bait: live bait (11) · minnow (3)
Method: ice fishing (10) · still fishing (8) · spincasting (8)

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 · 1979–2026

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

Walleye2,442,134 stocked · 1979–2026 · 72 plantings

Tiger muskellunge112,014 stocked · 1980–1990 · 7 plantings

Muskellunge38 stocked · 1980

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

3 records

Plants & algae

Common Reed
Narrow-leaved Cattail

Fish

Brown Trout

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.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campgroundon the lake

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 10 mapped

🎢 Playgroundon the lake

🥪 Picnic area≈0.3 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

Linda's Bread Box≈4 mi10N State Hwy 149, Cooks · Google · Apple

Top O'Lake Sport Shop≈4.5 mi206 S Cedar St, Manistique · Google · Apple

Wood's Outpost≈5.3 mi · (906) 341-96638895 W US Hwy 2, Manistique · 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 15 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 8,726 acres in Schoolcraft County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Indian Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Indian Lake is 8.3 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Indian Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brook trout, brown trout, muskellunge, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye. The page lists all 14 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Indian Lake?

Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 3 public access sites on Indian Lake, including Indian Lake State Park- South Unit.