Roland Lake

Baraga County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

22ft Max
depth

39 acres 5 contours Public access

Paddling Index82Very Goodsheltered geometry · wooded shoreline · away from major roads

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Depth scale

0510152022

The lake

Survey readout

Roland Lake is mapped to a depth of 22 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 39 acres in Baraga County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 22 ft
Mean depth: 7.6 ft · estimated
Surface area: 39 acres
Estimated volume: 299 acre-ft · 98M gal
Shoreline: 1.39 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 4% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–22 ft
Recorded point soundings: 22 ft

66.5% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 3.7% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Baraga County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 16 lakes and 1 bay · 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: 46.82217, -88.17879
MI DNR lake ID: L39762
Vertical exaggeration: 2.93×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

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

82 / 100Very GoodData confidence: High

Roland Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, limited 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	26.4 of 30	89% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (70% forest, 18% wetland; 7% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	23.4 of 25	mean fetch 519 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 · 3 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Very Good	11.7 of 15	limited nearby major-road exposure · 2 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 237 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: Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 4% 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 — 70% forest and 18% 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

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

Smallmouth Bass

Brook Trout

Pumpkinseed

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 2013) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 3 species found here — 3 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.

PumpkinseedOpen 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.

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).

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 · 1999–2024

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.

19Catches recorded

3Species

Brook Trout17 recorded · to 20″ · latest 2024

Pumpkinseed1 recorded · to 9.2″ · latest 2020

Smallmouth Bass1 recorded · to 22″ · latest 1999

Biggest on record

Smallmouth Bass22″ · 1999 · spincasting

Brook Trout20″ · 2009 · ice fishing · night crawler

Brook Trout19.5″ · 2011 · ice fishing · worm

Brook Trout19″ · 2013 · ice fishing · crawler

Brook Trout19″ · 2011 · spincasting

Bait: live bait (3) · artificial lure (2) · crawler (2)
Method: ice fishing (8) · spincasting (8) · still fishing (1)

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 · 1979–2026

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

Brook trout134,455 stocked · 1979–2026 · 91 plantings

Walleye100,000 stocked · 2013

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

🚿 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

Indian County Sports LLC≈13.9 mi17 S Front St, L'Anse · Google · Apple

Wilkinsons General Store≈14.9 mi · (906) 353-6257117 Superior Ave, Baraga · 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

Roland Lake — common questions

How deep is Roland Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Roland Lake is 22 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 Roland Lake?

Roland Lake covers about 39 acres in Baraga County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Roland Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Roland Lake is 7.6 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Roland Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brook trout, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Roland Lake?

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