Morrison Lake

Ionia County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

15ft Max
depth

339 acres 3 contours Public access

Paddling Index40Modest

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Depth scale

051015

The lake

Survey readout

Morrison Lake is mapped to a depth of 15 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 339 acres in Ionia County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey (depths read from the survey's isobath field; this lake's summary-depth column is blank in the source).

Deepest mapped contour: 15 ft
Mean depth: 11.7 ft · estimated
Surface area: 339 acres
Estimated volume: 3,947 acre-ft · 1,286M gal
Shoreline: 4.26 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details3 contours

Contour depths: 0–15 ft
Recorded point soundings: 15 ft

25.7% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Ionia County, Michigan · all 5 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: 42.86153, -85.21093
MI DNR lake ID: L14357
Vertical exaggeration: 3.0×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

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

40 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Morrison Lake has a substantially developed setting, moderate 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	Modest	1.6 of 30	26% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (8% forest, 18% wetland; 44% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	11.4 of 25	mean fetch 1,488 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
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 · 24 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Good	6.8 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 15 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 973 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: Limited — 8% 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 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

10 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

Common Carp

Bass

Bullhead

Black Crappie

Yellow Perch

Bluegill

Hybrid Sunfish

Pumpkinseed

Green Sunfish

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 1999) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 10 species found here — 10 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.

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).

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).

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.

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).

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)

Common CarpOpen 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).

Hybrid 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).

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).

Yellow PerchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (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, 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 · 2006–2025

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.

7Catches recorded

3Species

Bluegill5 recorded · to 10.8″ · latest 2025

Bullhead1 recorded · to 14.5″ · latest 2017

Common Carp1 recorded · to 33.5″ · latest 2020

Biggest on record

Common Carp33.5″ · 2020

Bullhead14.5″ · 2017 · still fishing

Bluegill10.8″ · 2016 · spincasting · worm

Bluegill10.4″ · 2018 · fly fishing

Bluegill10.2″ · 2025 · ice fishing · live bait

Bait: live bait (1) · worm (1)
Method: still fishing (2) · spincasting (2) · ice 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 2023-361

2,016Fish sampled

8Species

Gamefish Northern Pike 7

Panfish Bluegill 1,611 · Black Crappie 225 · Yellow Perch 25

All survey species8 species

Gamefish

Northern Pike7 caught · to 33″

Panfish

Bluegill1,611 caught · to 10″

Black Crappie225 caught · to 11″

Yellow Perch25 caught · to 10″

Pumpkinseed9 caught · to 6″

Hybrid Sunfish5 caught · to 7″

Green Sunfish1 caught · to 5″

Forage & nongame

Bass133 caught · to 18″

Stocking: Bluegills, Largemouth Bass, and Yellow Perch were stocked in Morrison Lake during 1933-1941 (Table 2).

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 · 1988–1999

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

Walleye1,973,577 stocked · 1988–1999 · 17 plantings

No stockings recorded since 1999 — shown as history.

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

2 records

Mussels & snails

Zebra Mussel

Fish

Common Carp

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.

Public fishing access

MI DNR family-friendly fishing

Boat

Primarily Private-managed · Free · Rustic restrooms · Paved parking

Amenities: Boat launch

“State-owned access on north shore, gravel ramp, parking for 15 vehicles”

Source: Michigan DNR Family Friendly Fishing.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake

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

Koontry Korners LLC≈1.7 mi · (616) 642-34747122 Grand River Ave, Saranac · Google · Apple

A Grand Addiction Guide Service≈6.5 mi14337 Obertey Dr, Lowell · Google · Apple

Blake's Beads and Bait≈8.1 mi216 E Main St, Lowell · 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

Morrison Lake — common questions

How deep is Morrison Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Morrison Lake is 15 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 Morrison Lake?

Morrison Lake covers about 339 acres in Ionia County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Morrison Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Morrison Lake is 11.7 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Morrison Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include northern pike, black crappie, bluegill, bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish. The page lists all 10 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Morrison Lake?

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

More lakes in Ionia County