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Lake Perrault

Houghton County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
38ft Max
depth
38 acres 10 contours Public access
Paddling Index83Very Goodsheltered geometry · wooded shoreline
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Lake Perrault is mapped to a depth of 38 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 38 acres in Houghton County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding
38 ft
Mean depth
15.9 ft · estimated
Surface area
38 acres
Estimated volume
602 acre-ft · 196M gal
Shoreline
1.01 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation
1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Boat Launch
Additional depth details10 contours
Contour depths
0–38 ft
Recorded point soundings
38 ft, 34 ft, 33 ft

31.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 37.2% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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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
47.02985, -88.73387
MI DNR lake ID
L35823
Vertical exaggeration
2.39×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
1.8 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
83 / 100Very GoodData confidence: High

Lake Perrault has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped 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

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingExcellent29.1 of 3096% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (79% forest, 16% wetland; 0% developed)
Geometric wind exposureExcellent25.0 of 25mean fetch 380 m · 100% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controlsNone identified7.5 of 15No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public accessGood12.8 of 151 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane
Road isolationGood8.6 of 15some nearby classified roads · 2 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 2,118 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 1% 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
High — 79% forest and 16% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
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

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

Brook Trout
Crappie

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 2 species found here — 2 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.

Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 1 (FO-254 · Type D) One (1) trout.
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).
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 D trout lake — season last Saturday in April - October 31; tackle: only artificial lures may be used. It shall be unlawful to use or possess live bait, dead or preserved bait, organic or processed food on any of the waters or on shore.
Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 1 (FO-254 · Type D) One (1) trout.
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).

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 · 1998–2024

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.

12Catches recorded
2Species
Brook Trout11 recorded · to 22.5″ · latest 2023
Crappie1 recorded · to 15″ · latest 2024

Biggest on record

Brook Trout22.5″ · 2008 · spincasting
Brook Trout21.8″ · 2006 · still fishing
Brook Trout20.5″ · 2006 · spincasting
Brook Trout19.8″ · 1998 · trolling
Brook Trout19.5″ · 2014 · ice fishing

Bait: artificial lure (4)
Method: spincasting (5) · ice fishing (4) · trolling (2) · still fishing (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.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1979–2025

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

Brook trout148,891 stocked · 1979–2025 · 54 plantings

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.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance
The Bait Shack≈9.8 mi42233 Wilson Memorial Dr., Chassell · Google · Apple
Freeman Guns≈9.9 mi120 Quincy St, Handcock · 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 Perrault — common questions

How deep is Lake Perrault?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Lake Perrault is 38 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 Perrault?

Lake Perrault covers about 38 acres in Houghton County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Lake Perrault?

The estimated mean depth of Lake Perrault is 15.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Lake Perrault?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brook trout, crappie. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Lake Perrault?

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