Lake Minnawanna

Lapeer County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

20ft Max
depth

60 acres 3 contours Public access 23% weedy

Paddling Index75Goodsheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

051020

The lake

Survey readout

Lake Minnawanna is mapped to a depth of 20 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 60 acres in Lapeer County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 20 ft
Mean depth: 3.7 ft · estimated
Surface area: 60 acres
Estimated volume: 221 acre-ft · 72M gal
Shoreline: 3.13 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 23% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch · Rec Passport
In: Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area · 718 ac

Additional depth details3 contours

Contour depths: 0–20 ft
Recorded point soundings: 20 ft

83.2% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 2.4% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Lapeer County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 20 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: 42.94211, -83.34816
MI DNR lake ID: L2894
Vertical exaggeration: 3.0×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.5 MB

Paddling

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

75 / 100GoodData confidence: High

Lake Minnawanna has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, well sheltered geometry, 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	20.4 of 30	75% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (60% forest, 13% wetland; 19% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	25.0 of 25	mean fetch 406 m · 68% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
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 · 6 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Good	9.0 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 13 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 4,443 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: Moderate — approximately 23% 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: Moderate — 60% forest and 13% 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

15 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

Common Carp

Largemouth Bass

White Sucker

Black Crappie

Crappie

Grass Pickerel

Yellow Bullhead

Yellow Perch

Bluegill

Warmouth

Pumpkinseed

Green Sunfish

Golden Shiner

Sand Shiner

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 15 species found here — 15 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.

Black 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).

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.

Common CarpOpen 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).

Golden ShinerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Grass PickerelOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Green SunfishOpen 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).

Largemouth 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).

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).

Sand ShinerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

WarmouthOpen 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).

White SuckerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Yellow BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Yellow PerchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (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 · 2005–2025

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.

7Catches recorded

4Species

Largemouth Bass3 recorded · to 22.5″ · latest 2018

Crappie2 recorded · to 14.5″ · latest 2025

Common Carp1 recorded · to 38″ · latest 2009

Northern Pike1 recorded · to 43″ · latest 2022

Biggest on record

Northern Pike43″ · 2022 · spincasting · artificial lure

Common Carp38″ · 2009 · spincasting

Largemouth Bass22.5″ · 2005 · trolling · live minnow

Largemouth Bass22.2″ · 2010 · spincasting

Largemouth Bass22.1″ · 2018 · spincasting

Bait: live bait (2) · artificial lure (1) · live minnow (1)
Method: spincasting (5) · ice fishing (1) · trolling (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.

Fishery

surveyed 2013 · DNR SFR 2014-172

480Fish sampled

12Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 88 · Grass Pickerel 1

Panfish Bluegill 216 · Pumpkinseed 90 · Black Crappie 65

All survey species12 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass88 caught · to 19″

Grass Pickerel1 caught · to 10″

Panfish

Bluegill216 caught · to 7″

Pumpkinseed90 caught · to 8″

Black Crappie65 caught · to 11″

Green Sunfish1 caught · to 4″

Warmouth1 caught · to 7″

Yellow Perch1 caught · to 6″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead2 caught · to 11″

Forage & nongame

Sand Shiner10 caught · to 2″

Golden Shiner2 caught · to 7″

White Sucker1 caught · to 19″

Stocking: A review of fisheries records from the 1960s and 1970s indicates a stronger presence of northern pike coinciding with a period when attempts were made to rear them in the connecting cove and suggests supplemental stocking has potential to improve the population.

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Michigan DNR Status of the Fishery Resource report.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 2014–2019

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

Northern pike2,410 stocked · 2014–2019 · 3 plantings

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

No non-native species recorded in the available dataset. This does not confirm that no non-native species are present.

Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying nonindigenous species records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

Public fishing access

MI DNR family-friendly fishing

ShorePierBoat

State-managed · Yes, Rec Passport · Modern, rustic restrooms · Paved parking

Amenities: Animal-friendly, bait store, beach, boat launch, boat rental, camping, concessions, grills, picnic areas, playground, shelter, swimming access, walking trails

“A quiet "no wake lake" surrounded by Metamora-Hadley State Recreation Area with a campground on one side, beach and picnic area on one side, and woods on the other side. There is a boat launch and two fishing docks.”

Source: Michigan DNR Family Friendly Fishing.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 3 mapped

🏖 Beach / swim areaon the lake

🥪 Picnic areaon 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

Lake Nepessing Party Store≈6.5 mi434 Lake Nepessing Rd, Lapeer · Google · Apple

Brown's Sporting Food Inc≈7.8 mi7281 S State St, Goodrich · Google · Apple

T-Rex Adventures≈7.8 mi1447 N Ortonville Rd, Ortonville · 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 Minnawanna — common questions

How deep is Lake Minnawanna?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Lake Minnawanna is 20 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 Minnawanna?

Lake Minnawanna covers about 60 acres in Lapeer County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Lake Minnawanna?

The estimated mean depth of Lake Minnawanna is 3.7 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Lake Minnawanna?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, black crappie, bluegill, crappie, green sunfish. The page lists all 15 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Lake Minnawanna?

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