North Manistique Lake

Luce County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

50ft Max
depth

1,743 acres 10 contours Public access

Paddling Index49Modest

Get directions

Depth scale

05101520253035404550

The lake

Survey readout

North Manistique Lake is mapped to a depth of 50 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 1,743 acres in Luce County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 50 ft
Mean depth: 20.2 ft · estimated
Surface area: 1,743 acres
Estimated volume: 35,189 acre-ft · 11,466M gal
Shoreline: 6.41 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details10 contours

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

32.4% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 42.4% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

Compare with another lake

Location

Luce County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 64 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

Spot an error? Send a correction

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: 46.28486, -85.73841
MI DNR lake ID: L26910
Vertical exaggeration: 1.98×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

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

49 / 100ModestData confidence: High

North Manistique Lake has a partly natural setting, notable open-water exposure, 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	Good	17.0 of 30	61% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (35% forest, 25% wetland; 17% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Mixed	5.6 of 25	mean fetch 2,615 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long fetch in some 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	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 15 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Mixed	5.9 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 26 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,935 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: Moderate — 35% forest and 25% 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 & active stocking

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

Muskellungestocked

Northern Pikestocked

Walleyestocked

Smallmouth Bass

Rock Bass

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Lake Trout (last planted 1999), Splake (last planted 1987), Brown Trout (last planted 1984), Rainbow Trout (last planted 1982) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 5 species found here — 5 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.

MuskellungeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 42" · Limit: 1 per angler per year (FO-215 · statewide inland) Not a daily limit: one Muskellunge per angler per license year (April 1 – March 31), and harvest must be registered within 24 hours at Michigan.gov/RegisterFish. Catch-and-immediate-release is open all year (FO-215.23A Note 3).

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

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.

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

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).

Smallmouth 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).

WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (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 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 · 1994–2024

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.

14Catches recorded

2Species

Rock Bass10 recorded · to 12.5″ · latest 2024

Smallmouth Bass4 recorded · to 22.4″ · latest 2023

Biggest on record

Smallmouth Bass22.4″ · 1999 · trolling

Smallmouth Bass21.5″ · 1998 · spincasting

Smallmouth Bass21.1″ · 1994 · spincasting · berkley power worm

Smallmouth Bass21″ · 2023 · still fishing · live bait

Rock Bass12.5″ · 2009 · still fishing · night crawler

Bait: night crawler (3) · berkley power worm (3) · artificial lure (1)
Method: trolling (6) · still fishing (3) · spincasting (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.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1979–2025

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

Walleye7,560,092 stocked · 1979–2025 · 52 plantings

Muskellunge8,469 stocked · 2004–2016 · 5 plantings

Complete stocking history6 older species

Northern pike50,544 stocked · 1985–2000 · 6 plantings

Lake trout40,026 stocked · 1982–1999 · 29 plantings

Smallmouth bass8,455 stocked · 1997–1998 · 3 plantings

Splake36,000 stocked · 1987 · 3 plantings

Brown trout74,044 stocked · 1980–1984 · 8 plantings

Rainbow trout420 stocked · 1982

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.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campgroundon 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

Helmer House Inn & Mercantile≈1.4 mi · (906) 586-61312747 CO Rd 377, Mcmillan · Google · Apple

Micks Bait Shop≈5.5 miW17351 Main St, Curtis · Google · Apple

Fish & Hunt Shop≈5.6 miW17148 Main St, Curtis · 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 Manistique Lake — common questions

How deep is North Manistique Lake?

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

North Manistique Lake covers about 1,743 acres in Luce County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of North Manistique Lake?

The estimated mean depth of North Manistique Lake is 20.2 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in North Manistique Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include muskellunge, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, rock bass. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to North Manistique Lake?

Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 1 public access site on North Manistique Lake, including Luce County Park.