Lake George

Ogemaw County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

48ft Max
depth

91 acres 8 contours Public access

Paddling Index55Mixedaway from major roads · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

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The lake

Survey readout

Lake George is mapped to a depth of 48 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 91 acres in Ogemaw County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 48 ft
Mean depth: 27.6 ft · estimated
Surface area: 91 acres
Estimated volume: 2,518 acre-ft · 821M gal
Shoreline: 2.1 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details8 contours

Contour depths: 0–48 ft
Recorded point soundings: 48 ft, 44 ft

16.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 75.2% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Ogemaw County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 51 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: 44.20900, -84.24688
MI DNR lake ID: L12094
Vertical exaggeration: 2.05×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

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

55 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Lake George has a substantially developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, 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	Modest	4.8 of 30	36% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (4% forest, 30% wetland; 42% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	19.6 of 25	mean fetch 681 m · 3% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short 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 · 7 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Very Good	10.3 of 15	limited nearby major-road exposure · 11 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 78 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: Limited — 4% forest and 30% 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

7 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 Pike

Brown Trout

Smallmouth Bass

Bullhead

Crappie

Bluegill

Pumpkinseed

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 7 species found here — 7 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).

Brown TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 12" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · Type B) Five (5) trout, except that the daily possession limit shall not include 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.

Designated Type B trout lake — season open for the entire year; tackle: all types of natural bait and artificial lures may be used.

BullheadOpen 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).

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).

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).

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. 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 · 2000–2025

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.

19Catches recorded

7Species

Bluegill5 recorded · to 10.8″

Crappie5 recorded · to 15.5″

Pumpkinseed3 recorded · to 9″

Bullhead2 recorded · to 14.5″

Catch details by species7 species

Bluegill5 recorded · to 10.8″ · latest 2025

Crappie5 recorded · to 15.5″ · latest 2025

Pumpkinseed3 recorded · to 9″ · latest 2025

Bullhead2 recorded · to 14.5″ · latest 2021

Northern Pike2 recorded · to 42″ · latest 2025

Brown Trout1 recorded · to 29″ · latest 2025

Smallmouth Bass1 recorded · to 21.2″ · latest 2002

Biggest on record

Northern Pike42″ · 2008 · ice fishing · sucker minnow

Northern Pike40″ · 2025 · ice fishing · live bait

Brown Trout29″ · 2025 · trolling · artificial lure

Smallmouth Bass21.2″ · 2002 · spincasting

Crappie15.5″ · 2008 · still fishing

Bait: live bait (11) · artificial lure (1)
Method: still fishing (8) · spincasting (5) · ice fishing (3)

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.

Non-native species records

1 record

Mussels & snails

Zebra Mussel

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

🏖 Beach / swim areaon the lake

🎢 Playgroundon the lake

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

Dean's Bait & Tackle Inc≈7.3 mi2260 M 33, Alger · Google · Apple

Ultimate Archery & Outdoors≈7.3 mi · (989) 387-63872275 S M-33, West Branch · Google · Apple

The Minnow Bucket @ Exit 222≈12.4 mi776 N Saint Helen Rd, St Helen · 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 48 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 91 acres in Ogemaw County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Lake George?

The estimated mean depth of Lake George is 27.6 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Lake George?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brown trout, northern pike, smallmouth bass, bluegill, bullhead, crappie. The page lists all 7 species and 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.