Iron Lake
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Iron Lake is mapped to a depth of 45 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 416 acres in Iron 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
- 45 ft
- Mean depth
- 10.7 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 416 acres
- Estimated volume
- 4,465 acre-ft · 1,455M gal
- Shoreline
- 4.83 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 6% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details12 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–45 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 45 ft, 39 ft, 37 ft, 35 ft
55.5% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 22.4% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
- 46.14369, -88.65410
- MI DNR lake ID
- L44906
- Vertical exaggeration
- 2.15×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.6 MB
Watercraft rules
county-enforced local controls · MI DNROfficial rule details1 rule
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Iron Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, moderate open-water exposure, some nearby classified roads. Watercraft controls: High-speed boating prohibited.
Why this score?5 components
Included in the index
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Excellent | 29.3 of 35 | 82% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (23% forest, 50% wetland; 12% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Good | 13.0 of 29 | mean fetch 1,547 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch |
| Watercraft controls | High-speed boating prohibited | 15.0 of 18 | High-speed boating prohibited |
| Public access | Not listed | — | No 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 isolation | Good | 10.9 of 18 | some nearby classified roads · 13 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 866 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 6% 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 — 23% forest and 50% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches & active stocking6 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
Walleyestocked
Burbot
Crappie
Yellow Perchstocked
BluegillFishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 6 species found here — 6 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.
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. (Dawson Lake water shall expire on September 15, 2028).” — 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 · 2008–2019Trophy-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.
Biggest on record
Bait: wax worm (2)
Method: ice fishing (5) · spearfishing (1)
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 1983–2025Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
Non-native species records
2 recordsPlants & algae
- Eurasian Watermilfoil
Fish
- Muskellunge
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 distanceIron Lake — common questions
How deep is Iron Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Iron Lake is 45 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 Iron Lake?
Iron Lake covers about 416 acres in Iron County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Iron Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Iron Lake is 10.7 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Iron Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include burbot, muskellunge, walleye, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch. The page shows the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Iron Lake?
No public launch for Iron 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.
