Rose Lake

Osceola County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

30ft Max
depth

377 acres 6 contours Public access

Paddling Index52Modest

Get directions

Depth scale

051015202530

The lake

Survey readout

Rose Lake is mapped to a depth of 30 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 377 acres in Osceola County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 30 ft
Mean depth: 16 ft · estimated
Surface area: 377 acres
Estimated volume: 6,032 acre-ft · 1,966M gal
Shoreline: 4.94 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–30 ft
Recorded point soundings: 30 ft

25.4% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 38.2% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

Compare with another lake

Location

Osceola County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 18 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

Spot an error? Send a correction

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: 44.06229, -85.38639
MI DNR lake ID: L18781
Vertical exaggeration: 2.66×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.5 MB

Paddling

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

52 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Rose Lake has a partly natural 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	Good	13.2 of 30	55% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (42% forest, 11% wetland; 32% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	13.7 of 25	mean fetch 1,212 m · 4% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
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	10.5 of 15	1 site with DNR boating-facility records
Road isolation	Good	6.9 of 15	some nearby classified roads · 53 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 456 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 1% 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 — 42% forest and 11% 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, DNR surveys & active stocking

7 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

Largemouth Bass

Crappie

Yellow Perch

Bluegill

Rock Bass

Pumpkinseed

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 7 species found here — 7 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.

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).

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).

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.

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).

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).

Rock BassOpen 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).

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)

Official rule text for this lake

“no size limit on Northern Pike and up to five (5) Northern Pike may be retained in the daily possession limit with only one (1) 24- inches or greater.” — FO-206

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, 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.

Notable catches

Master Angler program · 1996–2025

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.

21Catches recorded

5Species

Rock Bass15 recorded · to 12.6″ · latest 2025

Pumpkinseed3 recorded · to 10.5″ · latest 2024

Crappie1 recorded · to 15.2″ · latest 2022

Largemouth Bass1 recorded · to 23″ · latest 2009

Yellow Perch1 recorded · to 14.2″ · latest 2000

Biggest on record

Largemouth Bass23″ · 2009 · trolling

Crappie15.2″ · 2022 · spincasting · artificial lure

Yellow Perch14.2″ · 2000 · still fishing · live bait

Rock Bass12.6″ · 2003 · spincasting

Rock Bass12″ · 2025 · spincasting · artificial lure

Bait: artificial lure (6) · live bait (3) · crawler (2)
Method: spincasting (13) · still fishing (5) · ice fishing (1) · drift 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.

Fishery

surveyed 2017 · DNR SFR 2018-256

12Fish sampled

5Species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass1 caught

Panfish

Rock Bass8 caught

Bluegill1 caught

Yellow Perch1 caught

Forage & nongame

Pumpkinseed1 caught

Stocking: of Natural Resources 2018-256 Status of the Fishery Resource Report Page 2 The first recorded fish stocking of Rose Lake took place in 1876, when Lake Whitefish were stocked by the Michigan Fishery Commission (Table 1).

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 · 1979–2025

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

Walleye418,126 stocked · 1979–2025 · 30 plantings

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

1 record

Other invertebrates

Freshwater Jellyfish

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.

Public fishing access

MI DNR family-friendly fishing

Shore

Osceola County Parks and Recreation-managed · Entry fee · Rustic restrooms · Yes

Amenities: Camping, picnic tables, swimming beach

“370 acre mostly shallow, natural lake, with warmwater fish species.”

Source: Michigan DNR Family Friendly Fishing.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campground≈0.1 mi

🚿 Restrooms / vault toilet≈0.1 mi

🏖 Beach / swim areaon 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

Buck country Bait & Tackle≈3.7 mi109 Mackinaw Trail, Leroy · Google · Apple

Pilgrim Village Fishing Shop≈12.6 mi · (231) 775-5412181 S Lake Mitchell Dr, Cadillac · Google · Apple

The Kountry Store LLC≈14.5 mi · (231) 832-7093660 N Main St, Hersey · 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

Rose Lake — common questions

How deep is Rose Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Rose Lake is 30 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 Rose Lake?

Rose Lake covers about 377 acres in Osceola County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Rose Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Rose Lake is 16 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Rose Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, walleye, bluegill, crappie, pumpkinseed, rock bass. The page lists all 7 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Rose Lake?

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