Lake Emily

Iron County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

30ft Max
depth

332 acres 6 contours Public access

Paddling Index65Mixedwooded shoreline

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Depth scale

051015202530

The lake

Survey readout

Lake Emily is mapped to a depth of 30 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 332 acres in Iron County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 30 ft
Mean depth: 11.8 ft · estimated
Surface area: 332 acres
Estimated volume: 3,908 acre-ft · 1,273M gal
Shoreline: 3.27 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–30 ft
Recorded point soundings: 30 ft

50.9% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 24.9% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Iron County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 81 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: 46.11234, -88.50207
MI DNR lake ID: L43855
Vertical exaggeration: 2.66×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

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

65 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Lake Emily has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, some nearby classified 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	Very Good	23.3 of 30	76% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (13% forest, 62% wetland; 14% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	13.3 of 25	mean fetch 1,240 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate 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 · 1 ramp lane · 5 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Good	8.2 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 7 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 4,576 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: High — 13% forest and 62% 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, DNR surveys & active stocking

4 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

Smallmouth Bass

Crappie

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 4 species found here — 4 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.

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).

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.

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)

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, Michigan DNR fishery surveys 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 · 1996–2025

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.

9Catches recorded

3Species

Muskellunge4 recorded · to 47″ · latest 2009

Smallmouth Bass3 recorded · to 24″ · latest 2022

Crappie2 recorded · to 15.2″ · latest 2025

Biggest on record

Muskellunge47″ · 2002 · still fishing · minnow

Muskellunge46.5″ · 2009 · drift fishing · sucker

Muskellunge44.5″ · 2000 · spincasting

Muskellunge43″ · 2003 · trolling

Smallmouth Bass24″ · 1999 · still fishing · minnow

Bait: minnow (3) · combination (1) · live bait (1)
Method: still fishing (4) · spincasting (2) · ice fishing (1) · drift fishing (1)

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 · 1979–2025

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

Walleye397,672 stocked · 1979–2025 · 32 plantings

Muskellunge2,846 stocked · 1979–2001 · 6 plantings

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

4 records

Mussels & snails

Banded Mysterysnail
Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

Curly-leaf Pondweed
Narrow-leaved Cattail

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

Luckey's Sport Shop≈4 mi3237 US Hwy, Iron River · Google · Apple

Crystal Bait≈8.1 mi · (906) 875-4434520 Crystal Falls, Crystal Falls · Google · Apple

Superior Sport & Feed LL LLC≈8.4 mi · (906) 841-113131 Superior Ave, Crystal Falls · 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

Lake Emily — common questions

How deep is Lake Emily?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Lake Emily is 30 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 Lake Emily?

Lake Emily covers about 332 acres in Iron County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Lake Emily?

The estimated mean depth of Lake Emily is 11.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Lake Emily?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include muskellunge, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Lake Emily?

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