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Lake Sixteen

Oakland County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
30ft Max
depth
106 acres 6 contours 22% weedy
Paddling Index67MixedMedium confidencesheltered geometry · wooded shoreline
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Depth scale

Michigan state-record water

The state-record Yellow Bullhead — 3.6 lb — was caught here in 2003. 16.8″ · Baitcasting · on Night Crawler

The lake

Survey readout

Lake Sixteen is mapped to a depth of 30 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 106 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
30 ft
Mean depth
8.1 ft · estimated
Surface area
106 acres
Estimated volume
860 acre-ft · 280M gal
Shoreline
2.37 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
22% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details6 contours
Contour depths
0–30 ft
Recorded point soundings
30 ft

67% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 10.1% is deeper than 20 ft; the survey shows 3 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
42.75528, -83.28762
MI DNR lake ID
L7626
Vertical exaggeration
2.66×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.4 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
67 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Lake Sixteen has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well 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

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingExcellent29.4 of 3583% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (14% forest, 69% wetland; 13% developed)
Geometric wind exposureExcellent25.1 of 29mean fetch 591 m · 15% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controlsNone identified8.8 of 18No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public accessNot listedNo DNR-listed access site. Township, county and road-end launches are not in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolationModest3.7 of 18substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 33 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 12,830 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
Moderate — approximately 22% 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 — 14% forest and 69% 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 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

6 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 Pikestocked
Bowfin
Largemouth Bassstocked
Bullhead
Crappie
Yellow Bullhead

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 6 species found here — 6 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.

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

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 · 2003–2024

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.

6Catches recorded
4Species
1State record
Bullhead2 recorded · to 16.8″ · latest 2021
Crappie2 recorded · to 15.2″ · latest 2024
Bowfin1 recorded · to 27″ · latest 2020
Yellow Bullheadstate record1 recorded · to 16.8″ · latest 2003

Biggest on record

Bowfin27″ · 2020
Bullhead16.8″ · 2003 · spincasting · night crawler
Yellow Bullheadstate record16.8″ · 2003 · baitcasting · night crawler
Crappie15.2″ · 2020
Crappie14.5″ · 2024 · spincasting · artificial lure

Bait: night crawler (2) · artificial lure (1) · live bait (1)
Method: spincasting (2) · still fishing (1) · baitcasting (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 · 1981–1982

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

Northern pike1,332 stocked · 1981–1982 · 3 plantings
Largemouth bass351 stocked · 1982

No stockings recorded since 1982 — shown as history.

Non-native species records

1 record

Plants & algae

  • Common Water-hyacinth
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≈0.7 mi
🚿 Restrooms / vault toilet≈0.2 mi
🎢 Playground≈0.1 mi · 4 mapped
🥾 Hiking trailheadon the lake · 6 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
NY Petroleum≈2.9 mi415 S Broadway St, Lake Orion · Google · Apple
Jay's Big Bass Outdoors Inc≈6.7 mi4250 Dixie Hwy, Waterford · Google · Apple
The Bait Shop LLC≈8.2 mi2574 AirPort 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 Sixteen — common questions

How deep is Lake Sixteen?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Lake Sixteen is 30 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 Sixteen?

Lake Sixteen covers about 106 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Lake Sixteen?

The estimated mean depth of Lake Sixteen is 8.1 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Lake Sixteen?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, bowfin, bullhead, crappie, yellow bullhead. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Lake Sixteen?

No public launch for Lake Sixteen appears in the Michigan DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- municipal and private ramps are not in that source.