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North Dease Lake

Ogemaw County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
50ft Max
depth
164 acres 12 contours
Paddling Index51ModestMedium confidenceaway from major roads · sheltered geometry
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

North Dease Lake is mapped to a depth of 50 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 164 acres in Ogemaw County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
50 ft
Mean depth
15.5 ft · estimated
Surface area
164 acres
Estimated volume
2,544 acre-ft · 829M gal
Shoreline
2.31 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation
8% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details12 contours
Contour depths
0–50 ft
Recorded point soundings
50 ft, 26 ft

41.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 33.1% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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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.

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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
44.40599, -83.89279
MI DNR lake ID
L239
Vertical exaggeration
1.98×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.4 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
51 / 100ModestData confidence: Medium

North Dease Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, limited nearby major-road exposure. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingMixed10.6 of 3544% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (16% forest, 22% wetland; 34% developed)
Geometric wind exposureVery Good18.8 of 29mean fetch 956 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controlsNone identified8.8 of 18No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public accessNot listedNo 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 isolationVery Good12.7 of 18limited nearby major-road exposure · 5 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 970 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 8% 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 — 16% forest and 22% 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 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

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

Crappie
Rock Bass
Pumpkinseed

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 3 species found here — 3 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.

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).
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).
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.
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).
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).

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. 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 · 2006–2023

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.

6Catches recorded
3Species
Crappie2 recorded · to 14.5″ · latest 2016
Pumpkinseed2 recorded · to 9.5″ · latest 2021
Rock Bass2 recorded · to 12″ · latest 2023

Biggest on record

Crappie14.5″ · 2016 · ice fishing
Crappie14.2″ · 2006 · still fishing · minow
Rock Bass12″ · 2023 · spincasting · artificial lure
Rock Bass11.8″ · 2022 · spincasting · artificial lure
Pumpkinseed9.5″ · 2020

Bait: artificial lure (2) · flies (1)
Method: spincasting (2) · fly fishing (1) · 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.

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.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance
Londo Lakes Store≈3.7 mi · (989) 600-52168585 Lavere Rd, Hale · Google · Apple
J & M County Fair Store≈4.5 mi415 W Main, Hale · Google · Apple
Gordon's Bait≈11.4 mi6075 N M-65, Glenni · 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

North Dease Lake — common questions

How deep is North Dease Lake?

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

North Dease Lake covers about 164 acres in Ogemaw County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of North Dease Lake?

The estimated mean depth of North Dease Lake is 15.5 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in North Dease Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include crappie, pumpkinseed, rock bass. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to North Dease Lake?

No public launch for North Dease 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.