Lake Oakland

Oakland County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

64ft Max
depth

275 acres 11 contours Public access

Paddling Index38Modestsheltered geometry

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Depth scale

051525355564

The lake

Survey readout

Lake Oakland is mapped to a depth of 64 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 275 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 64 ft
Mean depth: 11.4 ft · estimated
Surface area: 275 acres
Estimated volume: 3,121 acre-ft · 1,017M gal
Shoreline: 7.43 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 8% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch · Rec Passport

Additional depth details11 contours

Contour depths: 0–64 ft
Recorded point soundings: 64 ft, 27 ft

74.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 18.9% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Oakland County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 116 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: 42.70012, -83.36113
MI DNR lake ID: L8455
Vertical exaggeration: 1.5×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.6 MB

Paddling

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

38 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Lake Oakland has a substantially developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, 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	0.6 of 30	14% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (7% forest, 6% wetland; 77% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	16.7 of 25	mean fetch 919 m · 12% 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 · 2 ramp lanes
Road isolation	Modest	0.8 of 15	substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 212 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 94,694 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 8% 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 — 7% 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, DNR surveys & active stocking

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

Longnose Gar

Common Carp

Largemouth Bass

Crappie

Redear Sunfish

Bluegill

Rock Bass

Golden Shiner

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 2014) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 8 species found here — 8 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).

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

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)

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).

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

Redear 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).

Rock BassOpen 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).

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 · 2007–2025

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

6Species

Crappie6 recorded · to 16.2″ · latest 2025

Redear Sunfish6 recorded · to 11″ · latest 2025

Common Carp4 recorded · to 38.5″ · latest 2022

Bluegill1 recorded · to 10.8″ · latest 2025

Largemouth Bass1 recorded · to 22″ · latest 2017

Rock Bass1 recorded · to 11″ · latest 2011

Biggest on record

Common Carp38.5″ · 2007 · spincasting · corn

Common Carp35″ · 2022 · bowfishing

Common Carp34″ · 2013 · bowfishing

Common Carp31″ · 2013 · still fishing · corn

Largemouth Bass22″ · 2017 · spincasting

Bait: live bait (8) · corn (2)
Method: spincasting (8) · ice fishing (4) · trolling (3) · 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.

Fishery

surveyed 2021 · DNR SFR 2023-353

2Fish sampled

2Species

Forage & nongame

Golden Shiner1 caught

Longnose Gar1 caught

Stocking: Fisheries management activities on Lake Oakland date back to the 1930s, when numerous species were stocked, including bluegill, black crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and an unrecorded crayfish species (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 · 1983–2014

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

Walleye44,667 stocked · 1983–2014 · 11 plantings

Redear sunfish4,927 stocked · 2004–2012 · 6 plantings

Golden shiner4,800 stocked · 2008

No stockings recorded since 2014 — shown as history.

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

3 records

Mussels & snails

Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

Starry Stonewort

Fish

Common Carp

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

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake

🏖 Beach / swim area≈0.2 mi · 2 mapped

🎢 Playground≈0.4 mi

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

Jay's Big Bass Outdoors Inc≈1.5 mi4250 Dixie Hwy, Waterford · Google · Apple

The Bait Shop LLC≈2.9 mi2574 AirPort Rd, Waterford · Google · Apple

Lakeview Party Store & Pizza≈5.2 mi990 S Cass Lake Rd, Waterford · 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 Oakland — common questions

How deep is Lake Oakland?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Lake Oakland is 64 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 Oakland?

Lake Oakland covers about 275 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Lake Oakland?

The estimated mean depth of Lake Oakland is 11.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Lake Oakland?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, longnose gar, redear sunfish, rock bass. The page lists all 8 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Lake Oakland?

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