Perch Lake

Marquette County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

55ft Max
depth

53 acres 11 contours Public access

Paddling Index84Very Goodaway from major roads · sheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

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The lake

Survey readout

Perch Lake is mapped to a depth of 55 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 53 acres in Marquette County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 55 ft
Mean depth: 21.3 ft · estimated
Surface area: 53 acres
Estimated volume: 1,120 acre-ft · 365M gal
Shoreline: 2.04 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 6% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details11 contours

Contour depths: 0–55 ft
Recorded point soundings: 55 ft

18.4% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 52.7% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Marquette County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 79 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: 46.40112, -87.95598
MI DNR lake ID: L34380
Vertical exaggeration: 1.81×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.5 MB

Paddling

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

84 / 100Very GoodData confidence: High

Perch Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, little nearby major-road exposure. 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	27.1 of 30	89% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (51% forest, 31% wetland; 3% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	23.1 of 25	mean fetch 536 m · 44% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most 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 · 5 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Excellent	13.7 of 15	relatively isolated from major roads · 15 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 73 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 6% 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 — 51% forest and 31% 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 DNR surveys & active stocking

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

Rainbow Trout

Splake

Brook Trout

Yellow Perch

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Lake Trout (last planted 2011) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 4 species found here — 4 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.

Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 10" · 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.

Rainbow TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 12" · 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.

SplakeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 12" · 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.

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 Michigan DNR fishery surveys 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.

Fishery

DNR SFR 2019-270

19,852Fish sampled

10Species

Gamefish

Rainbow Trout11,940 caught

Forage & nongame

Splake1,998 caught

Brook Trout3,978 caught

Yellow Perch1,936 caught

Stocking: Fisheries management began in 1936 when 1,200 adult Yellow Perch were stocked in Perch Lake.

This survey reported catch counts without lengths. Source: Michigan DNR Status of the Fishery Resource report (counts summed across survey years).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1979–2018

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

Rainbow trout35,306 stocked · 1979–2018 · 19 plantings

Complete stocking history3 older species

Lake trout150 stocked · 2008–2011 · 3 plantings

Splake80,208 stocked · 1981–2007 · 28 plantings

Brook trout200 stocked · 1989 · 2 plantings

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

⛻ Campground≈1.0 mi

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton 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

Champion Sport & Bait≈7.8 mi4276 US 41, Champion · Google · Apple

R Cabins≈14.3 miN12178 State Hwy M95, Channing · Google · Apple

Country Village Shell≈14.8 mi830 US 41, Ishpeming · 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

Perch Lake — common questions

How deep is Perch Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Perch Lake is 55 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 Perch Lake?

Perch Lake covers about 53 acres in Marquette County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Perch Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Perch Lake is 21.3 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Perch Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brook trout, rainbow trout, splake, yellow perch. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Perch Lake?

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