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Sage Lake

Ogemaw County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
80ft Max
depth
866 acres 20 contours Public access
Paddling Index42Modest
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Sage Lake is mapped to a depth of 80 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 866 acres in Ogemaw County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding
80 ft
Mean depth
18.4 ft · estimated
Surface area
866 acres
Estimated volume
15,957 acre-ft · 5,200M gal
Shoreline
7.61 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
11% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Boat Launch
Additional depth details20 contours
Contour depths
0–80 ft
Recorded point soundings
80 ft, 68 ft, 67 ft, 65 ft, 64 ft, 55 ft

40.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 43.2% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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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.

⚠ 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
44.35125, -83.94364
MI DNR lake ID
L11955
Vertical exaggeration
1.4×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.5 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
42 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Sage Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, nearby higher-volume roads. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingMixed8.7 of 3048% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (18% forest, 27% wetland; 43% developed)
Geometric wind exposureGood8.0 of 25mean fetch 2,086 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
Watercraft controlsNone identified7.5 of 15No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public accessGood12.8 of 151 site with DNR boating-facility records · 2 ramp lanes · 15 trailer spaces
Road isolationMixed5.3 of 15nearby higher-volume roads · 32 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,250 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 11% 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 — 18% forest and 27% 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 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

13 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
Common Carp
Bowfin
Walleye
Largemouth Bass
Bullhead
Crappie
Bluegill
Rock Bass
Hybrid Sunfish
Pumpkinseed
Fathead Minnowstocked

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 13 species found here — 12 open to harvest, 1 with a special rule or closed season.

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.

Northern PikeSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below
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.
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).
BowfinOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)
BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)
Common CarpOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)
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).
Fathead MinnowOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)
Hybrid SunfishOpen 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).
Longnose GarOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)
Northern PikeSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below
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)
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 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.

39Catches recorded
12Species
Crappie14 recorded · to 17″
Longnose Gar6 recorded · to 40.5″
Common Carp3 recorded · to 31.5″
Largemouth Bass3 recorded · to 22.5″
Catch details by species12 species
Crappie14 recorded · to 17″ · latest 2025
Longnose Gar6 recorded · to 40.5″ · latest 2022
Common Carp3 recorded · to 31.5″ · latest 2022
Largemouth Bass3 recorded · to 22.5″ · latest 2024
Rock Bass3 recorded · to 11.8″ · latest 2022
Bluegill2 recorded · to 11.2″ · latest 2023
Bowfin2 recorded · to 27.8″ · latest 2020
Pumpkinseed2 recorded · to 9.2″ · latest 2023
Bullhead1 recorded · to 14.2″ · latest 2021
Hybrid Sunfish1 recorded · to 10″ · latest 2019
Northern Pike1 recorded · to 37″ · latest 2025
Walleye1 recorded · to 30″ · latest 2006

Biggest on record

Longnose Gar40.5″ · 2003 · still fishing · live bluegill
Longnose Gar39″ · 2021 · spearfishing
Northern Pike37″ · 2025 · trolling · artificial lure
Longnose Gar36.2″ · 2022 · spearfishing
Longnose Gar36″ · 2022 · spearfishing

Bait: artificial lure (6) · minnow (5)
Method: spincasting (17) · spearfishing (8) · still fishing (7) · ice fishing (3)

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 · 1983–2026

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

Walleye122,176 stocked · 1985–2026 · 6 plantings
Fathead minnow900,000 stocked · 2020–2021 · 2 plantings
Hybrid Sunfish2,000 stocked · 2020
Northern pike108,769 stocked · 1983–1990 · 5 plantings

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
Londo Lakes Store≈3.7 mi · (989) 600-52168585 Lavere Rd, Hale · Google · Apple
J & M County Fair Store≈6.8 mi415 W Main, Hale · Google · Apple
Ultimate Archery & Outdoors≈10.6 mi · (989) 387-63872275 S M-33, West Branch · 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

Sage Lake — common questions

How deep is Sage Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Sage Lake is 80 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 Sage Lake?

Sage Lake covers about 866 acres in Ogemaw County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Sage Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Sage Lake is 18.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Sage Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, bluegill, bowfin, bullhead. The page lists all 13 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Sage Lake?

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