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Martin Lake

Otsego County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
8ft Max
depth
35 acres 2 contours
Paddling Index79Goodsheltered geometry · whole-lake slow-no-wake · wooded shoreline
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Martin Lake is mapped to a depth of 8 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 35 acres in Otsego County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
8 ft
Mean depth
4 ft · estimated
Surface area
35 acres
Estimated volume
139 acre-ft · 45M gal
Shoreline
0.96 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation
0% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details2 contours
Contour depths
0–8 ft
Recorded point soundings
8 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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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
45.05670, -84.78539
MI DNR lake ID
L1070
Vertical exaggeration
3.0×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.0 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR
Slow — no wakewhole lake, as mapped
Official rule details1 rule
Slow — no wake“Slow--no wake speed”
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
79 / 100GoodData confidence: High

Martin Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, well sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Whole-lake slow-no-wake.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingVery Good22.0 of 3078% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (76% forest, 2% wetland; 13% developed)
Geometric wind exposureExcellent25.0 of 25mean fetch 424 m · 85% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controlsWhole-lake slow-no-wake13.8 of 15Slow — no wake
Public accessGood12.8 of 151 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 2 trailer spaces
Road isolationMixed5.1 of 15nearby higher-volume roads · 10 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 7,534 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
Moderate — 76% forest and 2% 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).

Northern Pikestocked
Bluegill

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.

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).
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.
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).
Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

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 · 2008

One Master Angler catch is on record for this lake: 10.5″ bluegill in 2008 on night crawler.

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 · 1983–1991

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

Northern pike2,500 stocked · 1983–1991 · 5 plantings

No stockings recorded since 1991 — shown as history.

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.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance
⛻ Campground≈0.4 mi
🚿 Restrooms / vault toilet≈0.3 mi
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
Otsego Lake Corner Store≈7.5 mi4800 W Otsego Lake Dr., Gaylord · Google · Apple
Boathouse Marine≈7.6 mi3819 Old US 27 S, Gaylord · Google · Apple
Deminer's Parkside Market≈10 mi7131 Old 27 S, Gaylord · 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

Martin Lake — common questions

How deep is Martin Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Martin Lake is 8 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 Martin Lake?

Martin Lake covers about 35 acres in Otsego County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Martin Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Martin Lake is 4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Martin Lake?

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

Is there public access to Martin Lake?

No public launch for Martin 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.