Lake Roland

Houghton County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

40ft Max
depth

263 acres 8 contours Public access

Paddling Index52Modestsheltered geometry

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Depth scale

0510152025303540

The lake

Survey readout

Lake Roland is mapped to a depth of 40 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 263 acres in Houghton County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey (depths read from the survey's isobath field; this lake's summary-depth column is blank in the source).

Deepest mapped contour: 40 ft
Mean depth: 14.7 ft · estimated
Surface area: 263 acres
Estimated volume: 3,861 acre-ft · 1,258M gal
Shoreline: 3.83 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 5% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details8 contours

Contour depths: 0–40 ft
Recorded point soundings: 40 ft

31.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 25.7% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Houghton County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 32 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: 46.88815, -88.85155
MI DNR lake ID: L35180
Vertical exaggeration: 2.32×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.5 MB

Paddling

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

52 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Lake Roland has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally 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	Mixed	10.9 of 30	51% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (39% forest, 10% wetland; 36% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	14.3 of 25	mean fetch 1,126 m · 0% 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 · 6 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Good	7.0 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 12 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 5% 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 — 39% forest and 10% 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 & active stocking

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

Muskellunge

Lake Troutstocked

Rainbow Troutstocked

Smallmouth Bass

Brook Trout

Bullhead

Bluegill

Hybrid Sunfish

Pumpkinseed

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Splake (last planted 2007), Tiger Muskellunge (last planted 1981) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

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

Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no 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.

Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

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

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).

Lake TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

MuskellungeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 42" · Limit: 1 per angler per year (FO-215 · statewide inland) Not a daily limit: one Muskellunge per angler per license year (April 1 – March 31), and harvest must be registered within 24 hours at Michigan.gov/RegisterFish. Catch-and-immediate-release is open all year (FO-215.23A Note 3).

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).

Rainbow TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

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 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 · 1997–2023

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.

21Catches recorded

7Species

Bluegill14 recorded · to 11.4″

Pumpkinseed2 recorded · to 9″

Brook Trout1 recorded · to 16″

Bullhead1 recorded · to 15.1″

Catch details by species7 species

Bluegill14 recorded · to 11.4″ · latest 2023

Pumpkinseed2 recorded · to 9″ · latest 2018

Brook Trout1 recorded · to 16″ · latest 2021

Bullhead1 recorded · to 15.1″ · latest 2023

Hybrid Sunfish1 recorded · to 10″ · latest 2021

Muskellunge1 recorded · to 47.5″ · latest 1997

Smallmouth Bass1 recorded · to 22″ · latest 2008

Biggest on record

Muskellunge47.5″ · 1997 · spincasting

Smallmouth Bass22″ · 2008 · spincasting

Brook Trout16″ · 2021 · spincasting · artificial lure

Bullhead15.1″ · 2023 · still fishing · live bait

Bluegill11.4″ · 2008 · drift fishing · wax worm

Bait: worm (5) · live bait (3) · wax worm (3)
Method: still fishing (8) · drift fishing (7) · spincasting (4) · ice 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 · 1979–2024

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

Lake trout3,405 stocked · 2006–2024 · 16 plantings

Brook trout2,700 stocked · 2016–2022 · 4 plantings

Rainbow trout357,846 stocked · 1983–2018 · 41 plantings

Splake25,365 stocked · 2004–2007 · 4 plantings

Tiger muskellunge3,600 stocked · 1979–1981 · 3 plantings

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

1 record

Fish

Tiger MuskellungeMichigan DNR stocking records also document Tiger Muskellunge stocking in this lake.

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

⛻ Campground≈0.1 mi

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake

🏖 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).

Quick answers

Lake Roland — common questions

How deep is Lake Roland?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Lake Roland is 40 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 Roland?

Lake Roland covers about 263 acres in Houghton County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Lake Roland?

The estimated mean depth of Lake Roland is 14.7 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Lake Roland?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brook trout, lake trout, muskellunge, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, bluegill. The page lists all 9 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Lake Roland?

Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 2 public access sites on Lake Roland, including Elm River Township Ramp.