Ottawa Lake

Iron County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

80ft Max
depth

532 acres 8 contours Public access

Paddling Index59MixedMedium confidencewooded shoreline

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Depth scale

01020304050607080

Michigan state-record water

The state-record Cisco — 6.36 lb — was caught here in 2017. 21.8″ · Stillfishing · on Jig

The lake

Survey readout

Ottawa Lake is mapped to a depth of 80 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 532 acres in Iron County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 80 ft
Mean depth: 28.5 ft · estimated
Surface area: 532 acres
Estimated volume: 15,140 acre-ft · 4,933M gal
Shoreline: 4.39 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 5% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details8 contours

Contour depths: 0–80 ft
Recorded point soundings: 80 ft

25.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 63.8% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Iron County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 81 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: 46.08431, -88.76199
MI DNR lake ID: L45846
Vertical exaggeration: 1.4×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.7 MB

Paddling

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

59 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Ottawa Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, moderate open-water exposure, some nearby classified 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	28.6 of 35	80% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (59% forest, 20% wetland; 5% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	11.4 of 29	mean fetch 1,765 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
Watercraft controls	None identified	8.8 of 18	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
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	10.4 of 18	some nearby classified roads · 11 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 117 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 5% 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 — 59% forest and 20% 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 & 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).

Lake Troutstocked

Walleyestocked

Smallmouth Bass

Cisco

Yellow Perchstocked

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Rainbow Trout (last planted 2011), Brook Trout (last planted 2008), Splake (last planted 2008), Shortnose Cisco (last planted 1986) — 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.

CiscoOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 5 in any combination (2026 DNR digest · Cisco/Whitefish (NOTE 7)) 5 in any combination of Cisco, Lake Whitefish and Round Whitefish on inland waters; 10 on the Great Lakes, connecting waters and Type F lakes.

Lake TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · Type B) Five (5) trout, except that the daily possession limit shall not include more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

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.

Designated Type B trout lake — season open for the entire year; tackle: all types of natural bait and artificial lures may be used.

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)

Yellow PerchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (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 · 2002–2025

Master Angler catches recorded on this lake — too few to show a pattern, so they are listed individually.

Smallmouth Bass22.5″ · 2008 · spincasting

Ciscostate record21.8″ · 2017 · still fishing

Smallmouth Bass21″ · 2025 · spincasting · artificial lure

Smallmouth Bass20.2″ · 2002 · still fishing · night crawler

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.

Walleye392,131 stocked · 1979–2025 · 26 plantings

Lake trout768,468 stocked · 1985–2024 · 44 plantings

Complete stocking history6 older species

Rainbow trout14,988 stocked · 2011

Brook trout29,965 stocked · 2003–2008 · 2 plantings

Splake17,918 stocked · 2008

Yellow Perch6,660 stocked · 1989

Lake herring8,670 stocked · 1987

Shortnose cisco3,468 stocked · 1986

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

1 record

Other invertebrates

Rusty Crayfish

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

⛻ Campgroundon the lake · 2 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

Luckey's Sport Shop≈8.6 mi3237 US Hwy, Iron River · 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

Ottawa Lake — common questions

How deep is Ottawa Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Ottawa Lake is 80 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 Ottawa Lake?

Ottawa Lake covers about 532 acres in Iron County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Ottawa Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Ottawa Lake is 28.5 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Ottawa Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include lake trout, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch, cisco. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Ottawa Lake?

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