Saddlebag Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Saddlebag Lake is mapped to a depth of 35 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 100 acres in Cass County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.
- Deepest mapped contour
- 35 ft
- Mean depth
- 11.8 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 100 acres
- Estimated volume
- 1,172 acre-ft · 382M gal
- Shoreline
- 2.86 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 13% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details8 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–35 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 35 ft, 23 ft, 12 ft
45.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 23.9% is deeper than 20 ft; the survey shows 3 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
- 42.05858, -85.86874
- MI DNR lake ID
- L28572
- Vertical exaggeration
- 2.49×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.3 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Saddlebag 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 | 29.4 of 35 | 82% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (7% forest, 74% wetland; 12% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Excellent | 25.6 of 29 | mean fetch 583 m · 25% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions |
| Watercraft controls | None identified | 8.8 of 18 | No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law. |
| 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 | Very Good | 12.9 of 18 | limited nearby major-road exposure · 13 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 462 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 13% 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 — 7% forest and 74% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches & DNR surveys22 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).
Longnose Gar
Northern Pike
Spotted Gar
Bowfin
Walleye
Largemouth Bass
Brown Bullhead
Black Crappie
Grass Pickerel
Yellow Bullhead
Lake Chubsucker
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Warmouth
Hybrid Sunfish
Pumpkinseed
Green Sunfish
Golden Shiner
Brook Silverside
Bluntnose Minnow
Blacknose Shiner
Sand ShinerFishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 22 species found here — 22 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 · 2018–2025Trophy-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: live bait (2) · artificial lure (1)
Method: spincasting (3) · trolling (2)
Fishery
Gamefish Largemouth Bass 51 · Grass Pickerel 8 · Bowfin 6 · Northern Pike 6
Panfish Bluegill 3,301 · Black Crappie 427 · Yellow Perch 73
All survey species21 species
Gamefish
Panfish
Bullhead & catfish
Forage & nongame
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 distanceSaddlebag Lake — common questions
How deep is Saddlebag Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Saddlebag Lake is 35 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 Saddlebag Lake?
Saddlebag Lake covers about 100 acres in Cass County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Saddlebag Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Saddlebag Lake is 11.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Saddlebag Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin. The page lists all 22 species and the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Saddlebag Lake?
No public launch for Saddlebag 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.
