Milakokia Lake

Mackinac County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

26ft Max
depth

2,017 acres 13 contours Public access

Paddling Index54Modestwooded shoreline

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Depth scale

05111315172126

The lake

Survey readout

Milakokia Lake is mapped to a depth of 26 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 2,017 acres in Mackinac County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 26 ft
Mean depth: 7.8 ft · estimated
Surface area: 2,017 acres
Estimated volume: 15,670 acre-ft · 5,106M gal
Shoreline: 10.27 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details13 contours

Contour depths: 0–26 ft
Recorded point soundings: 26 ft, 21 ft, 17 ft, 16 ft, 16 ft, 14 ft

55.2% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Mackinac County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 31 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: 46.07502, -85.80452
MI DNR lake ID: L40096
Vertical exaggeration: 10.0× below the waterline; land at true scale
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

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

54 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Milakokia Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, notable 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

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	21.1 of 30	68% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (10% forest, 58% wetland; 9% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Mixed	3.4 of 25	mean fetch 3,260 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long fetch in some directions
Watercraft controls	None identified	7.5 of 15	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 15 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Good	8.9 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 8 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 501 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 2% 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 58% 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 & active stocking

7 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).

White Sucker

Smallmouth Bass

Bullhead

Yellow Perch

Bluegill

Rock Bass

Pumpkinseed

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 1993) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 7 species found here — 7 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).

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.

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

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).

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).

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

“protected slot limit on Walleye from 18 – 23 inches; with no more than one (1) greater than 23-inches. This regulation will expire on April 1, 2038.” — 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 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.

32Catches recorded

7Species

Bullhead19 recorded · to 17.2″

Smallmouth Bass5 recorded · to 22″

Rock Bass4 recorded · to 12.5″

Bluegill1 recorded · to 10.4″

Catch details by species7 species

Bullhead19 recorded · to 17.2″ · latest 2024

Smallmouth Bass5 recorded · to 22″ · latest 2018

Rock Bass4 recorded · to 12.5″ · latest 2011

Bluegill1 recorded · to 10.4″ · latest 2022

Pumpkinseed1 recorded · to 9″ · latest 2024

White Sucker1 recorded · to 21.5″ · latest 2025

Yellow Perch1 recorded · to 15.6″ · latest 1994

Biggest on record

Smallmouth Bass22″ · 2010 · still fishing · minnow

Smallmouth Bass21.8″ · 1997 · drift fishing · minnow

White Sucker21.5″ · 2025 · still fishing · live bait

Smallmouth Bass21.5″ · 2011 · still fishing · minnow

Smallmouth Bass21.1″ · 2018 · trolling

Bait: worm (8) · live bait (7) · minnow (6) · night crawler (4)
Method: still fishing (26) · spincasting (2) · trolling (2)

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 · 1981–1998

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

Smallmouth bass4,992 stocked · 1998

Walleye5,950,000 stocked · 1981–1993 · 8 plantings

No stockings recorded since 1998 — shown as history.

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

1 record

Plants & algae

Eurasian Watermilfoil

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

⛻ Campgroundon 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

Micks Bait Shop≈9.4 miW17351 Main St, Curtis · Google · Apple

Fish & Hunt Shop≈9.5 miW17148 Main St, Curtis · Google · Apple

Gullivers Crossroads≈11.5 mi280w Hwy US 2, Gulliver · 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

Milakokia Lake — common questions

How deep is Milakokia Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Milakokia 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 Milakokia Lake?

Milakokia Lake covers about 2,017 acres in Mackinac County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Milakokia Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Milakokia Lake is 7.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Milakokia Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include smallmouth bass, bluegill, bullhead, pumpkinseed, rock bass, yellow perch. The page lists all 7 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Milakokia Lake?

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