Moss Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Moss Lake is mapped to a depth of 39 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 54 acres in Oakland 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 sounding
- 39 ft
- Mean depth
- 14.4 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 54 acres
- Estimated volume
- 780 acre-ft · 254M gal
- Shoreline
- 2 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 20% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- Boat Launch · Rec Passport
- In
- Proud Lake Recreation Area · 3,033 ac
Additional depth details10 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–39 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 39 ft, 27 ft, 12 ft, 11 ft
Other waters with a public launch on this map: Proud Lake. Their launches are not marked on the model — only Moss Lake’s own are.
46.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 38.3% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.
Compare with another lakeProvenance
Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.
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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
- 42.56703, -83.52015
- MI DNR lake ID
- L16752
- Vertical exaggeration
- 2.35×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.4 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Moss Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume 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 | Excellent | 27.2 of 30 | 86% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (1% forest, 85% wetland; 9% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Excellent | 24.4 of 25 | mean fetch 484 m · 55% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most 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 | 2 sites with DNR boating-facility records · 2 ramp lanes · 18 trailer spaces |
| Road isolation | Mixed | 5.2 of 15 | nearby higher-volume roads · 69 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 19,707 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
- Moderate — approximately 20% 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 — 1% forest and 85% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches4 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
Bowfin
Largemouth Bass
BluegillFishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 4 species found here — 4 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.
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
Notable catches
Master Angler program · 1993–2024Trophy-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.
Biggest on record
Bait: worm (1) · crankbait (1)
Method: spincasting (3) · bowfishing (1) · spearfishing (1) · still fishing (1)
At the lake
community-mapped amenities · straight-line distanceBait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceMoss Lake — common questions
How deep is Moss Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Moss Lake is 39 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 Moss Lake?
Moss Lake covers about 54 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Moss Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Moss Lake is 14.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Moss Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, bowfin. The page shows the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Moss Lake?
No public launch for Moss 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.
