Nichols Lake

Newaygo County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

50ft Max
depth

143 acres 10 contours Public access

Paddling Index70GoodMedium confidencerestricted hours · sheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

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The lake

Survey readout

Nichols Lake is mapped to a depth of 50 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 143 acres in Newaygo County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 50 ft
Mean depth: 16 ft · estimated
Surface area: 143 acres
Estimated volume: 2,294 acre-ft · 747M gal
Shoreline: 2.8 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 3% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details10 contours

Contour depths: 0–50 ft
Recorded point soundings: 50 ft

35.2% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 29.3% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Newaygo County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 39 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: 43.72643, -85.90648
MI DNR lake ID: L20346
Vertical exaggeration: 1.98×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.5 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

Restricted hourswhole lake, as mapped

Official rule details1 rule

Restricted hours“Hours for high-speed boating and 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

70 / 100GoodData confidence: Medium

Nichols Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, some nearby classified roads. Watercraft controls: Restricted hours.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	26.6 of 35	77% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (65% forest, 11% wetland; 7% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	21.8 of 29	mean fetch 774 m · 13% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	Restricted hours	10.9 of 18	Restricted hours
Public access	Not listed	—	No DNR-listed access site. Township, county and road-end launches are not in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Good	10.3 of 18	some nearby classified roads · 17 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 967 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 — 65% forest and 11% 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 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

9 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

Bullhead

Black Crappie

Crappie

Yellow Perch

Bluegill

Rock Bass

Pumpkinseed

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 9 species found here — 8 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 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.

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).

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)

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 · 1998–2024

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.

21Catches recorded

4Species

Bluegill14 recorded · to 12″ · latest 2024

Crappie4 recorded · to 15.5″ · latest 2012

Pumpkinseed2 recorded · to 9.5″ · latest 2018

Northern Pike1 recorded · to 40″ · latest 2005

Biggest on record

Northern Pike40″ · 2005 · trolling

Crappie15.5″ · 2011 · spincasting · minnow

Crappie15″ · 2012 · still fishing

Bluegill12″ · 2008 · still fishing · cricket

Bluegill11.8″ · 2006 · spincasting

Bait: live bait (6) · worm (2)
Method: still fishing (10) · spincasting (4) · ice fishing (3)

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

793Fish sampled

8Species

Gamefish Northern Pike 67 · Walleye 13

Panfish Bluegill 361 · Black Crappie 88 · Pumpkinseed 61

All survey species8 species

Gamefish

Northern Pike67 caught

Walleye13 caught

Panfish

Bluegill361 caught

Black Crappie88 caught

Pumpkinseed61 caught

Rock Bass58 caught

Yellow Perch2 caught

Forage & nongame

Bullhead143 caught

Stocking: During 1975 and 1976, surveys focused on walleye stocking evaluations.

This survey reported catch counts without lengths. Source: Michigan DNR Status of the Fishery Resource report (counts summed across survey years).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1990–2025

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

Walleye276,776 stocked · 1990–2025 · 30 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.

Public fishing access

MI DNR family-friendly fishing

ShorePierBoat

Federal-managed · Entry fee

“This location is a U.S. Forest Service property with a southside campground, small boat launch, beach, public fishing pier and shore fishing available. There is also a northside beach with a small boat launch and shore fishing.”

Source: Michigan DNR Family Friendly Fishing.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campground≈0.2 mi

🏖 Beach / swim areaon the lake

🥪 Picnic area≈0.1 mi

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

Big Bear Sports and Hardware≈5.4 mi7342 N Woodbridge, White Cloud · Google · Apple

Baldwin Bait & Tackle Inc≈9 mi9331 S M-37, Baldwin · Google · Apple

Hesperia Sport Shop≈13.1 mi · (231) 854-396565 W Alpha St, Hesperia · 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

Nichols Lake — common questions

How deep is Nichols Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Nichols Lake is 50 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 Nichols Lake?

Nichols Lake covers about 143 acres in Newaygo County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Nichols Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Nichols Lake is 16 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Nichols Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include northern pike, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, bullhead, crappie. The page lists all 9 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Nichols Lake?

Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 2 public access sites on Nichols Lake, including Nichols Lake.