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Larks Lake

Emmet County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
9ft Max
depth
610 acres 5 contours
Paddling Index59MixedMedium confidencewooded shoreline
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Larks Lake is mapped to a depth of 9 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 610 acres in Emmet 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 sounding
9 ft
Mean depth
3.3 ft · estimated
Surface area
610 acres
Estimated volume
1,986 acre-ft · 647M gal
Shoreline
3.97 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation
0% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details5 contours
Contour depths
0–9 ft
Recorded point soundings
9 ft, 6 ft, 5 ft, 5 ft, 4 ft, 4 ft

100% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location
Emmet County, Michigan · all 10 lakes and 1 bay · 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
45.60526, -84.92933
MI DNR lake ID
L5734
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.3 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
59 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Larks Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, moderate open-water exposure, 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 settingExcellent29.7 of 3581% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (10% forest, 66% wetland; 10% developed)
Geometric wind exposureGood12.9 of 29mean fetch 1,561 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
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 isolationGood8.0 of 18some nearby classified roads · 18 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 404 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 0% 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 — 10% forest and 66% 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

3 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
Channel Catfish
Smallmouth Bass

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 3 species found here — 3 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.

Channel CatfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: 12" · Daily limit: 10 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
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.
Channel CatfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: 12" · Daily limit: 10 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
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. 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 · 1994–2007

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.

15Catches recorded
3Species
Smallmouth Bass12 recorded · to 22.5″ · latest 2007
Channel Catfish2 recorded · to 31.5″ · latest 2005
Northern Pike1 recorded · to 40″ · latest 1997

Biggest on record

Northern Pike40″ · 1997 · spincasting
Channel Catfish31.5″ · 2005 · still fishing · hook/crawler
Channel Catfish31″ · 1996 · still fishing · nightcrawler
Smallmouth Bass22.5″ · 2002 · spincasting
Smallmouth Bass22.4″ · 2007 · spincasting

Bait: hook/crawler (1) · worm (1) · live minnow (1)
Method: spincasting (11) · still fishing (4)

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.

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
Chubbs Marina Market≈9.5 mi · (231) 626-10356520 Pardise Tr, Carplake · Google · Apple
Young's Bait & Party Store≈13.1 mi7399 Burr Ave, Alanson · Google · Apple
Cedar Swamp Sporting Goods II≈14.1 mi2429 N US 31 Hwy, Petoskey · 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

Larks Lake — common questions

How deep is Larks Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Larks Lake is 9 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 Larks Lake?

Larks Lake covers about 610 acres in Emmet County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Larks Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Larks Lake is 3.3 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Larks Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, northern pike, smallmouth bass. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Larks Lake?

No public launch for Larks Lake 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.