Lake Missaukee

Missaukee County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

27ft Max
depth

2,064 acres 11 contours Public access

Paddling Index28Modest

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Depth scale

0359122027

The lake

Survey readout

Lake Missaukee is mapped to a depth of 27 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 2,064 acres in Missaukee County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 27 ft
Mean depth: 10.3 ft · estimated
Surface area: 2,064 acres
Estimated volume: 21,220 acre-ft · 6,915M gal
Shoreline: 9.25 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details11 contours

Contour depths: 0–27 ft
Recorded point soundings: 27 ft, 12 ft, 12 ft, 9 ft

Other waters with a public launch on this map: Sapphire Lake. Their launches are not marked on the model — only Lake Missaukee’s own are.

42.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Missaukee County, Michigan · all 10 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: 44.32566, -85.23432
MI DNR lake ID: L1856
Vertical exaggeration: 2.76×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Paddling

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

28 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Lake Missaukee has a substantially developed setting, notable open-water exposure, substantial nearby higher-volume 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	Modest	3.2 of 30	37% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (16% forest, 17% wetland; 47% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Mixed	4.2 of 25	mean fetch 3,010 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long fetch in some 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	2 sites with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 6 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Modest	0.8 of 15	substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 137 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 10,193 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 — 16% forest and 17% 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

10 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

Walleyestocked

Largemouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass

Brown Bullhead

Bullhead

Crappie

Bluegill

Hybrid Sunfish

Pumpkinseed

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 10 species found here — 9 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.

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

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).

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

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).

WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (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, 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 · 1994–2025

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.

42Catches recorded

8Species

Pumpkinseed18 recorded · to 10.1″

Bluegill14 recorded · to 11″

Bullhead3 recorded · to 14.5″

Crappie2 recorded · to 14.9″

Catch details by species8 species

Pumpkinseed18 recorded · to 10.1″ · latest 2025

Bluegill14 recorded · to 11″ · latest 2024

Bullhead3 recorded · to 14.5″ · latest 2024

Crappie2 recorded · to 14.9″ · latest 2025

Largemouth Bass2 recorded · to 22″ · latest 2011

Hybrid Sunfish1 recorded · to 10″ · latest 2023

Northern Pike1 recorded · to 40″ · latest 1994

Smallmouth Bass1 recorded · to 22.4″ · latest 2009

Biggest on record

Northern Pike40″ · 1994 · artificial decoy

Smallmouth Bass22.4″ · 2009 · spincasting

Largemouth Bass22″ · 2002 · spincasting

Largemouth Bass21.5″ · 2011 · spincasting

Crappie14.9″ · 2024 · still fishing · live bait

Bait: live bait (17) · artificial lure (3) · worm (3)
Method: still fishing (17) · spincasting (13) · ice fishing (5) · drift 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.

Fishery

surveyed 2018 · DNR SFR 2018-261

1,898Fish sampled

7Species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass2 caught

Northern Pike1 caught

Smallmouth Bass1 caught

Panfish

Bluegill9 caught

Bullhead & catfish

Brown Bullhead1 caught

Forage & nongame

Pumpkinseed4 caught

Stocking: The first recorded fish stocking of Lake Missaukee took place in 1905, when both Largemouth Bass and Walleye were stocked, likely by the Michigan Fishery Commission (Table 1).

This survey reported catch counts without lengths. Source: Michigan DNR Status of the Fishery Resource report (counts summed across survey years).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1980–2026

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

Walleye2,341,930 stocked · 1980–2026 · 45 plantings

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

2 records

Mussels & snails

Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

Eurasian Watermilfoil

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.

Public fishing access

MI DNR family-friendly fishing

ShorePier

Free · Rustic restrooms

Amenities: Swimming

Source: Michigan DNR Family Friendly Fishing.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campgroundon the lake · 4 mapped

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 4 mapped

🏖 Beach / swim areaon the lake

🎢 Playgroundon the lake · 2 mapped

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

Village Tackle LLC≈1.4 mi129 N Front St, Lake City · Google · Apple

Next Door Store 5059≈6.6 mi · (231) 839-415388 N Morey Rd, Lake City · Google · Apple

Pilgrim Village Fishing Shop≈12.5 mi · (231) 775-5412181 S Lake Mitchell Dr, Cadillac · 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 Missaukee — common questions

How deep is Lake Missaukee?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Lake Missaukee is 27 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 Missaukee?

Lake Missaukee covers about 2,064 acres in Missaukee County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Lake Missaukee?

The estimated mean depth of Lake Missaukee is 10.3 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Lake Missaukee?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill, brown bullhead. The page lists all 10 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Lake Missaukee?

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