Michigan Lake Depths
NESW

Miner Lake

Allegan County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
80ft Max
depth
337 acres 10 contours Public access
Paddling Index54Modestsheltered geometry
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Miner Lake is mapped to a depth of 80 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 337 acres in Allegan County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
80 ft
Mean depth
26.2 ft · estimated
Surface area
337 acres
Estimated volume
8,832 acre-ft · 2,878M gal
Shoreline
6.59 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
3% of surface · NDVI estimate
Trophic state
Eutrophic · satellite estimate · readings disagree · details
Public access
Boat Launch
Additional depth details10 contours
Contour depths
0–80 ft
Recorded point soundings
80 ft

25.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 48.5% is deeper than 20 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates
42.56859, -85.79336
MI DNR lake ID
L28413
Vertical exaggeration
1.4×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.2 MB

Lake productivity & trophic state

Satellite estimate

Satellite-estimated classification: Eutrophic. Higher nutrient levels and biological productivity, often with more algae or aquatic plant growth. Based on satellite estimates of summer chlorophyll-a (LAGOS-US LANDSAT, 2020). No lake-specific measurement is available in this dataset.Field and satellite readings disagree for this lake: a Secchi disk water-clarity reading of 6.9 ft was recorded in 2004, while the satellite estimate is 10 ft. Treat the satellite-estimated classification with caution.

Trophic state describes how biologically productive a lake is, based on indicators such as nutrients, algae and water clarity. It is not a swimming-safety or overall water-quality rating.

What do the categories mean?
  • Oligotrophic≤ 2 µg/L · lower nutrient and algae levels, often clearer water and lower biological productivity.
  • Mesotrophic2–7 µg/L · moderate nutrient levels and biological productivity.
  • Eutrophic · this lake7–30 µg/L · higher nutrient levels and biological productivity, often with more algae or aquatic plant growth.
  • Hypereutrophic> 30 µg/L · very high nutrient levels and biological productivity, with a greater potential for heavy algae growth and low water clarity.

Bands are summer (June–August) mean chlorophyll-a, the green pigment in algae, at the EPA 2012 National Lakes Assessment thresholds. Trophic condition can change over time and by measurement method. Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; satellite chlorophyll-a estimates from LAGOS-US LANDSAT.

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-23
54 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Miner Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, 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 settingMixed10.7 of 3048% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (12% forest, 33% wetland; 32% developed)
Geometric wind exposureVery Good16.1 of 25mean fetch 968 m · 10% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controlsNone identified7.5 of 15No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public accessGood12.8 of 151 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 10 trailer spaces
Road isolationGood6.5 of 15some nearby classified roads · 18 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 2,091 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 3% 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 — 12% forest and 33% 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 bathymetric survey outline (0 ft isobath), USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MI DNR Watercraft Control Areas (2026-08), MI DNR Boating Access Sites (2026-08) and MDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from angler catches & active stocking

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

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 6 species found here — 6 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 summarizes 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).
BullheadOpen 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).
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).
Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
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).

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 2026-09-15. 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 · 1994–2024

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.

25Catches recorded
6Species
Crappie10 recorded · to 16.8″ · latest 2022
Bluegill7 recorded · to 11.2″ · latest 2023
Bullhead3 recorded · to 15.6″ · latest 2022
Largemouth Bass2 recorded · to 22.8″ · latest 2020
Northern Pike2 recorded · to 42.5″ · latest 1996
Pumpkinseed1 recorded · to 9″ · latest 2024

Biggest on record

Northern Pike42.5″ · 1994 · sucker chub
Northern Pike42″ · 1996 · ice fishing · sucker
Largemouth Bass22.8″ · 2016 · spincasting
Largemouth Bass22.2″ · 2020
Crappie16.8″ · 1994 · still fishing · minnow

Bait: minnow (6) · artificial lure (4) · live bait (1)
Method: spincasting (8) · still fishing (8) · ice fishing (5) · bowfishing (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 · 1979–1996

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

Northern pike75,437 stocked · 1979–1996 · 18 plantings

No stockings recorded since 1996 — shown as history.

Non-native species records

1 record

Plants & algae

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.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance
ACI Ventures≈5.1 mi1875 M40, Allegan · Google · Apple
Wayland Hardware and Point≈10 mi415 Reno Dr, Wayland · Google · Apple
Swan Lake Store LLC≈10.8 mi658 42nd St, Allegan · 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

Miner Lake — common questions

How deep is Miner Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Miner Lake is 80 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 Miner Lake?

Miner Lake covers about 337 acres in Allegan County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Miner Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Miner Lake is 26.2 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Miner Lake?

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

Is there public access to Miner Lake?

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