Madelyn Lake

Iron County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

26ft Max
depth

6.4 acres 5 contours

Paddling Index81Very GoodMedium confidenceaway from major roads · motorboats prohibited in zones · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

0510152026

The lake

Survey readout

Madelyn Lake is mapped to a depth of 26 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 6.4 acres in Iron County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 26 ft
Mean depth: 14.2 ft · estimated
Surface area: 6.4 acres
Estimated volume: 91 acre-ft · 30M gal
Shoreline: 0.38 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation: 17% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–26 ft
Recorded point soundings: 26 ft

26.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 26.4% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Iron County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 81 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: 46.35743, -88.94373
MI DNR lake ID: L38576
Vertical exaggeration: 2.8×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 0.4 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

Motorboats prohibiteddesignated zones

Official rule details1 rule

Motorboats prohibited“Motorboats prohibited”

Where the mapped control areas and the official regulation language differ, the language governs. Official county watercraft controls.

Paddling

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

81 / 100Very GoodData confidence: Medium

Madelyn Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, well sheltered geometry, little nearby major-road exposure. Watercraft controls: Motorboats prohibited in zones.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	23.8 of 35	72% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (52% forest, 18% wetland; 20% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	29.4 of 29	mean fetch 171 m · 100% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	Motorboats prohibited in zones	10.6 of 18	Motorboats prohibited — designated zones only
Public access	Not listed	—	No 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 isolation	Excellent	17.6 of 18	relatively isolated from major roads · 4 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 117 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: High — narrow throughout — passing wakes would reach most of the water
Aquatic vegetation: Moderate — approximately 17% 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 — 52% forest and 18% 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 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 active stocking

1 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 Troutstocked

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 1 species found here — 1 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: 10" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · Type A) Five (5) trout, except that the daily possession limit shall not include 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.

Designated Type A trout lake — season last Saturday in April - October 31; tackle: natural baits except minnows (dead or alive) and artificial lures may be used.

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 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.

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 trout20,556 stocked · 1979–2025 · 47 plantings

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

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.

Quick answers

Madelyn Lake — common questions

How deep is Madelyn Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Madelyn Lake is 26 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 Madelyn Lake?

Madelyn Lake covers about 6.4 acres in Iron County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Madelyn Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Madelyn Lake is 14.2 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Madelyn Lake?

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

Is there public access to Madelyn Lake?

No public launch for Madelyn 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.

More lakes in Iron County