Lac Vieux Desert
depth
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Depth scale
The state-record Tiger Muskellunge — 51.19 lb — was caught here in 1919. 54″
Survey readout
Lac Vieux Desert is mapped to a depth of 38 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 4,449 acres in Gogebic 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
- 38 ft
- Mean depth
- 11.3 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 4,449 acres
- Estimated volume
- 50,376 acre-ft · 16,415M gal
- Shoreline
- 17.48 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 3% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- Boat Launch
Additional depth details13 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–38 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 38 ft, 38 ft, 24 ft, 23 ft, 17 ft, 17 ft
Other waters with a public launch on this map: Grass Lake. Their launches are not marked on the model — only Lac Vieux Desert’s own are.
36.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 3.8% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
- 46.13640, -89.10311
- MI DNR lake ID
- L43942
- Vertical exaggeration
- 10.16× below the waterline; land at true scale
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.3 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Lac Vieux Desert has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, long open-water fetch, 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 | 24.7 of 30 | 82% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (39% forest, 40% wetland; 9% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Modest | 1.2 of 25 | mean fetch 4,172 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 | Good | 12.8 of 15 | 1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 2 ramp lanes · 20 trailer spaces |
| Road isolation | Very Good | 10.0 of 15 | limited nearby major-road exposure · 8 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 360 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 3% 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 — 39% forest and 40% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches & active stocking5 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
Tiger Muskellunge
Northern Pike
Brown Troutstocked
Rock BassHistorically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 2015), Brook Trout (last planted 2000) — not shown above.
Fishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 5 species found here — 5 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.
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 · 1919–2007Trophy-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: worm (1) · live sucker (1) · 3"" sucker (1)
Method: spincasting (4) · drift fishing (1) · still fishing (1)
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 2000–2018Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
Bait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceLac Vieux Desert — common questions
How deep is Lac Vieux Desert?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Lac Vieux Desert is 38 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 Lac Vieux Desert?
Lac Vieux Desert covers about 4,449 acres in Gogebic County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Lac Vieux Desert?
The estimated mean depth of Lac Vieux Desert is 11.3 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Lac Vieux Desert?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brown trout, muskellunge, northern pike, tiger muskellunge, rock bass. The page shows the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Lac Vieux Desert?
Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 1 public access site on Lac Vieux Desert, including Lac Vieux.
