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Rainy Lake

Presque Isle County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
98ft Max
depth
191 acres 21 contours
Paddling Index59MixedMedium confidenceaway from major roads · sheltered geometry
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Rainy Lake is mapped to a depth of 98 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 191 acres in Presque Isle 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
98 ft
Mean depth
19.8 ft · estimated
Surface area
191 acres
Estimated volume
3,790 acre-ft · 1,235M gal
Shoreline
3.8 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
3% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details21 contours
Contour depths
0–98 ft
Recorded point soundings
98 ft, 69 ft, 58 ft, 50 ft

38.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 37.4% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Chart data

Provenance

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
45.24835, -84.06990
MI DNR lake ID
L6759
Vertical exaggeration
1.4×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.4 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
59 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Rainy Lake has a partly natural setting, generally 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

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingGood17.2 of 3559% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (37% forest, 19% wetland; 29% developed)
Geometric wind exposureVery Good16.6 of 29mean fetch 1,156 m · 2% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controlsNone identified8.8 of 18No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public accessNot listedNo 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 isolationExcellent16.5 of 18relatively isolated from major roads · 6 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 193 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 3% 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 — 37% forest and 19% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
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 active stocking

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

Walleyestocked
Rainbow Troutstocked
Largemouth Bassstocked
Black Crappiestocked
Yellow Perchstocked
Bluegillstocked

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Fathead Minnow (last planted 1979) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 6 species found here — 6 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.

Black 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).
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.
Black 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).
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).
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).
Rainbow TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.
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 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.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1979–2023

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

Walleye86,200 stocked · 1999–2023 · 12 plantings
Black crappie5,640 stocked · 2012–2020 · 6 plantings
Bluegill3,090 stocked · 1979–2020 · 4 plantings
Yellow Perch1,985 stocked · 1979–2020 · 5 plantings
Rainbow trout1,690 stocked · 1980–2020 · 3 plantings
Largemouth bass1,219 stocked · 2013–2020 · 4 plantings
Fathead minnow17,250 stocked · 1979

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 distance
Black River Party Store≈10.6 mi · (989) 733-24809720 M-68/33 Hwy, Onaway · 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

Rainy Lake — common questions

How deep is Rainy Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Rainy Lake is 98 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 Rainy Lake?

Rainy Lake covers about 191 acres in Presque Isle County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Rainy Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Rainy Lake is 19.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Rainy Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, rainbow trout, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, yellow perch. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Rainy Lake?

No public launch for Rainy 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.