North Lake

Branch County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

35ft Max
depth

545 acres 7 contours Public access

Paddling Index44Modest

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Depth scale

05101520253035

The lake

Survey readout

North Lake is mapped to a depth of 35 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 545 acres in Branch County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 35 ft
Mean depth: 16.8 ft · estimated
Surface area: 545 acres
Estimated volume: 9,179 acre-ft · 2,991M gal
Shoreline: 3.46 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 4% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details7 contours

Contour depths: 0–35 ft
Recorded point soundings: 35 ft

36.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 40.6% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Branch County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 20 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: 41.96470, -85.03282
MI DNR lake ID: L16881
Vertical exaggeration: 2.49×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.1 MB

Paddling

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

44 / 100ModestData confidence: High

North Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, substantial 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	Mixed	10.4 of 30	46% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (8% forest, 38% wetland; 28% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	11.1 of 25	mean fetch 1,541 m · 2% 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 · 20 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Modest	2.4 of 15	substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 80 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 12,350 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 4% 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 — 8% forest and 38% 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

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

Longnose Gar

Northern Pike

Spotted Gar

Bowfin

Redhorse Sucker

Largemouth Bass

Brown Bullhead

Bullhead

Crappie

Yellow Bullhead

Redear Sunfish

Bluegill

Warmouth

Hybrid Sunfish

Green Sunfish

Golden Shiner

Logperch

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 17 species found here — 16 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.

Redhorse SuckerSpecial rulesMost redhorse suckers have no size limit, no possession limit and are open all year. River Redhorse is state-protected and may not be taken.

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).

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.

BowfinOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Brown BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

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).

Golden ShinerOpen 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).

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).

LogperchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Longnose GarOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

Redear 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).

Redhorse SuckerSpecial rulesMost redhorse suckers have no size limit, no possession limit and are open all year. River Redhorse is state-protected and may not be taken.

Spotted GarOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

WarmouthOpen 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 BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

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 and Michigan DNR fishery surveys. 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 · 1995–2025

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.

28Catches recorded

9Species

Longnose Gar9 recorded · to 45″

Redear Sunfish9 recorded · to 12″

Largemouth Bass4 recorded · to 23″

Bluegill1 recorded · to 11″

Catch details by species9 species

Longnose Gar9 recorded · to 45″ · latest 2007

Redear Sunfish9 recorded · to 12″ · latest 2025

Largemouth Bass4 recorded · to 23″ · latest 2025

Bluegill1 recorded · to 11″ · latest 2001

Bowfin1 recorded · to 31.5″ · latest 2001

Bullhead1 recorded · to 15″ · latest 2007

Crappie1 recorded · to 14.6″ · latest 2019

Hybrid Sunfish1 recorded · to 10″ · latest 2021

Northern Pike1 recorded · to 44″ · latest 2025

Biggest on record

Longnose Gar45″ · 2004 · spincasting

Northern Pike44″ · 2025 · spincasting · artificial lure

Longnose Gar44″ · 2006 · spincasting

Longnose Gar42″ · 2006 · spincasting

Longnose Gar40.5″ · 2002 · spincasting

Bait: live bait (5) · artificial lure (4) · night crawler (3)
Method: spincasting (14) · still fishing (9) · ice fishing (3) · trolling (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

154Fish sampled

10Species

Gamefish Bowfin 7

Panfish Warmouth 8 · Green Sunfish 1

All survey species10 species

Gamefish

Bowfin7 caught · to 27″

Panfish

Warmouth8 caught · to 8″

Green Sunfish1 caught · to 4″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead39 caught · to 13″

Brown Bullhead20 caught · to 14″

Forage & nongame

Golden Shiner33 caught · to 8″

Logperch29 caught · to 4″

Redhorse Sucker11 caught · to 14″

Spotted Gar5 caught · to 25″

Longnose Gar1 caught · to 25″

Stocking: During 1934-1939 several species of warmwater fish including; bluegill, yellow perch, largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass; were stocked throughout the lake chain by the Department of Conservation.

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).

Non-native species records

3 records

Mussels & snails

Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

Starry Stonewort

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.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campground≈0.8 mi

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 3 mapped

🎢 Playgroundon the lake · 3 mapped

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

Broadheads & Bullets LLC≈2.2 mi695 Marshall Rd Ste B, Coldwater · Google · Apple

Heinemann Taxidermy & Tannery≈2.8 mi90 W Garfield Ave, Coldwater · Google · Apple

Country Cove Store≈3 mi840 N Union City, Coldwater · 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 Lake — common questions

How deep is North Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of North Lake is 35 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 Lake?

North Lake covers about 545 acres in Branch County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of North Lake?

The estimated mean depth of North Lake is 16.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in North Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, bowfin, brown bullhead, bullhead. The page lists all 17 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to North Lake?

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