Otter Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Otter Lake is mapped to a depth of 117 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 69 acres in Lapeer County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey (depths read from the survey's isobath field; this lake's summary-depth column is blank in the source).
- Deepest sounding
- 117 ft
- Mean depth
- 24.4 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 69 acres
- Estimated volume
- 1,691 acre-ft · 551M gal
- Shoreline
- 1.64 mi · lobed
- Aquatic vegetation
- 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details11 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–117 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 117 ft, 47 ft, 47 ft, 45 ft
38.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 44% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.
Compare with another lakeProvenance
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
- 43.21795, -83.46012
- MI DNR lake ID
- L9525
- Vertical exaggeration
- 1.4×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.3 MB
Watercraft rules
county-enforced local controls · MI DNROfficial rule details1 rule
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Otter Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Restricted hours.
Why this score?5 components
Included in the index
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Mixed | 14.7 of 35 | 57% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (25% forest, 27% wetland; 36% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Very Good | 24.0 of 29 | mean fetch 648 m · 14% 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 | Mixed | 5.0 of 18 | nearby higher-volume roads · 39 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 3,005 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 — 25% forest and 27% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches, DNR surveys & active stocking20 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
Channel Catfish
Walleyestocked
Largemouth Bass
Brown Bullhead
Black Bullhead
Black CrappieCrappie
Grass Pickerel
Yellow Bullhead
Lake Chubsucker
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Rock Bass
Warmouth
Hybrid Sunfish
Pumpkinseed
Green Sunfish
Central Mudminnow
Tadpole MadtomHistorically stocked, no recent evidence: Brown Trout (last planted 1987) — not shown above.
Fishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 20 species found here — 20 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.
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
Notable catches
Master Angler program · 1995–2025Trophy-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.
Biggest on record
Bait: artificial lure (3) · live bait (2)
Method: spincasting (5) · ice fishing (2) · still fishing (2)
Fishery
surveyed 2014 · DNR SFR 2014-197Gamefish Largemouth Bass 68 · Northern Pike 13 · Channel Catfish 8 · Grass Pickerel 5
Panfish Bluegill 1,797 · Pumpkinseed 220 · Warmouth 54
All survey species18 species
Gamefish
Panfish
Bullhead & catfish
Forage & nongame
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 1980–2025Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
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 distanceOtter Lake — common questions
How deep is Otter Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Otter Lake is 117 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 Otter Lake?
Otter Lake covers about 69 acres in Lapeer County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Otter Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Otter Lake is 24.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Otter Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black bullhead, black crappie. The page lists all 20 species and the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Otter Lake?
No public launch for Otter 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.
