Lake George

Clare County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

25ft Max
depth

138 acres 5 contours Public access

Paddling Index57Mixedrestricted hours · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

0510152025

The lake

Survey readout

Lake George is mapped to a depth of 25 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 138 acres in Clare County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 25 ft
Mean depth: 9.2 ft · estimated
Surface area: 138 acres
Estimated volume: 1,268 acre-ft · 413M gal
Shoreline: 4.69 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 11% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–25 ft
Recorded point soundings: 25 ft

50.3% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 6.8% is deeper than 20 ft; the survey shows 4 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Clare County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 35 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: 43.95275, -84.93252
MI DNR lake ID: L9351
Vertical exaggeration: 2.83×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.7 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

Restricted hourswhole lake, as mapped

Official rule details1 rule

Restricted hours“Hours for high-speed boating and water skiing”

Where the mapped control areas and the official regulation language differ, the language governs. Official county watercraft controls.

Paddling

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

57 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Lake George has a mixed natural and developed setting, well sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Restricted hours.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	6.8 of 30	44% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (37% forest, 6% wetland; 48% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	23.0 of 25	mean fetch 557 m · 56% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	Restricted hours	9.3 of 15	Restricted hours
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 5 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Mixed	5.0 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 52 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,238 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: Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 11% 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: Limited — 37% forest and 6% 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

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

Northern Pikestocked

Smallmouth Bass

Crappie

Yellow Perchstocked

Bluegillstocked

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 1986), Emerald Shiner (last planted 1985), Fathead Minnow (last planted 1985), Sand Shiner (last planted 1984) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 5 species found here — 4 open to harvest, 1 with a special rule or closed season.

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.

Northern PikeSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below

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).

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.

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).

Northern PikeSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below

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).

Yellow PerchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

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.” — 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

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 · 1997–2017

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.

6Catches recorded

2Species

Crappie5 recorded · to 14.5″ · latest 2017

Smallmouth Bass1 recorded · to 21″ · latest 2007

Biggest on record

Smallmouth Bass21″ · 2007 · spincasting

Crappie14.5″ · 2006 · still fishing · live bait

Crappie14.5″ · 2005 · spincasting

Crappie14″ · 2017 · spincasting

Crappie14″ · 1999 · still fishing · minnow

Bait: live bait (1) · minnow (1)
Method: spincasting (4) · still fishing (2)

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 · 1982–1991

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

Northern pike16,000 stocked · 1986–1991 · 5 plantings

Walleye3,000 stocked · 1986

Emerald shiner26,688 stocked · 1984–1985 · 2 plantings

Fathead minnow13,840 stocked · 1985

Sand shiner131,700 stocked · 1984

Bluegill1,925 stocked · 1982

Yellow Perch30 stocked · 1982

No stockings recorded since 1991 — shown as history.

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

7 records

Mussels & snails

Banded Mysterysnail
Chinese Mysterysnail
Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

Eurasian Watermilfoil
Narrow-leaved Cattail
Purple Loosestrife
Yellow Iris

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

KC's Lake Thirteen Party Store≈7.5 mi · (989) 588-6744587 W Surrey Rd, Farwell · Google · Apple

Pfund's Crocked Lake Resort≈7.8 mi8071 Mystic Lake Dr, Lake City · Google · Apple

K-D Quick Stop Inc≈8 mi235 N Clare Ave, Harrison · 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 George — common questions

How deep is Lake George?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Lake George is 25 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 George?

Lake George covers about 138 acres in Clare County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Lake George?

The estimated mean depth of Lake George is 9.2 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Lake George?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include northern pike, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Lake George?

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