McCollum Lake

Oscoda County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

60ft Max
depth

219 acres 16 contours Public access

Paddling Index63Mixedrestricted hours in zones · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

021317305060

The lake

Survey readout

McCollum Lake is mapped to a depth of 60 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 219 acres in Oscoda County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 60 ft
Mean depth: 15.7 ft · estimated
Surface area: 219 acres
Estimated volume: 3,429 acre-ft · 1,117M gal
Shoreline: 3.88 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 7% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details16 contours

Contour depths: 0–60 ft
Recorded point soundings: 60 ft, 55 ft, 52 ft, 45 ft, 22 ft, 20 ft

50.2% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 33.7% is deeper than 20 ft; the survey shows 2 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Oscoda County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 29 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: 44.77269, -83.89207
MI DNR lake ID: L11161
Vertical exaggeration: 1.64×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

Restricted hoursdesignated zones

Official rule details2 rules

Restricted hours“Hours for water skiing”

Restricted hours“Hours for water-skiing”

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

63 / 100MixedData confidence: High

McCollum Lake has a partly natural setting, generally sheltered geometry, some nearby classified roads. Watercraft controls: Restricted hours in zones.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Good	15.7 of 30	60% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (22% forest, 35% wetland; 25% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	16.2 of 25	mean fetch 942 m · 2% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	Restricted hours in zones	9.0 of 15	Restricted hours — designated zones only
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 15 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Good	9.3 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 6 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 848 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 7% 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 — 22% forest and 35% 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, DNR surveys & active stocking

18 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

Walleye

Largemouth Bass

White Sucker

Brown Bullhead

Bullhead

Black Bullhead

Black Crappie

Crappie

Yellow Perch

Bluegill

Rock Bass

Pumpkinseed

Green Sunfish

Golden Shiner

Bluntnose Minnow

Central Mudminnow

Mimic Shiner

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 18 species found here — 17 open to harvest, 1 with a special rule or closed season.

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.

Northern PikeSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below

Black 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.

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

Black 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).

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).

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

Brown BullheadOpen 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)

Central MudminnowOpen 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).

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

Green 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).

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).

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

Northern PikeSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below

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).

Rock BassOpen 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).

WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

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

Yellow PerchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

Official rule text for this lake

“no size limit on Northern Pike and up to five (5) Northern Pike may be retained in the daily possession limit with only one (1) 24-inches or greater.” — FO-206

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, Michigan DNR fishery surveys 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 · 1994–2025

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.

16Catches recorded

7Species

Pumpkinseed4 recorded · to 9.2″

Largemouth Bass3 recorded · to 22.5″

Bluegill2 recorded · to 10.2″

Crappie2 recorded · to 16″

Catch details by species7 species

Pumpkinseed4 recorded · to 9.2″ · latest 2025

Largemouth Bass3 recorded · to 22.5″ · latest 2025

Bluegill2 recorded · to 10.2″ · latest 2025

Crappie2 recorded · to 16″ · latest 2025

Rock Bass2 recorded · to 12.6″ · latest 2011

Yellow Perch2 recorded · to 14.2″ · latest 2018

Bullhead1 recorded · to 15.2″ · latest 2004

Biggest on record

Largemouth Bass22.5″ · 1994 · spincasting · stanley jig (black/blue/purple

Largemouth Bass22″ · 2025 · spincasting · artificial lure

Largemouth Bass21″ · 2009 · spincasting

Crappie16″ · 2025 · ice fishing · artificial lure

Bullhead15.2″ · 2004 · spincasting

Bait: live bait (4) · artificial lure (3) · combination (1)
Method: spincasting (7) · ice fishing (5) · still fishing (2) · drift 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.

Fishery

DNR SFR 2011-113

2,526Fish sampled

17Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 1,148 · Northern Pike 49 · Walleye 2

Panfish Bluegill 943 · Rock Bass 94 · Black Crappie 34

All survey species16 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass1,148 caught · to 21″

Northern Pike49 caught · to 24″

Walleye2 caught · to 30″

Panfish

Bluegill943 caught · to 10″

Rock Bass94 caught · to 11″

Black Crappie34 caught · to 12″

Yellow Perch28 caught · to 11″

Green Sunfish4 caught · to 3″

Bullhead & catfish

Black Bullhead17 caught · to 14″

Brown Bullhead16 caught · to 15″

Forage & nongame

Pumpkinseed94 caught · to 9″

Bluntnose Minnow63 caught · to 2″

Mimic Shiner2 caught

White Sucker1 caught

Golden Shiner1 caught

Central Mudminnow1 caught

Stocking: Stocking records indicate four species of fish were stocked in to McCollum Lake from 1922-1945.

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Michigan DNR Status of the Fishery Resource report (counts summed across survey years).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1980–2023

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

Walleye102,930 stocked · 1988–2023 · 5 plantings

Northern pike15,597 stocked · 1980–1989 · 7 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.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campgroundon the lake

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 2 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

Pioneer General Store≈12.9 mi · (989) 826-3580432 N Mount Tom Rd, Mio · Google · Apple

Tom's Mug & Jug≈13.3 mi · (989) 826-57312 North MT Tom Rd, Mio · 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

McCollum Lake — common questions

How deep is McCollum Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of McCollum Lake is 60 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 McCollum Lake?

McCollum Lake covers about 219 acres in Oscoda County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of McCollum Lake?

The estimated mean depth of McCollum Lake is 15.7 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in McCollum Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill. The page lists all 18 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to McCollum Lake?

Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 1 public access site on McCollum Lake, including McCollum Lake SFCG.