Sixmile Lake

Charlevoix County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

31ft Max
depth

386 acres 9 contours Public access

Paddling Index58Mixedwooded shoreline

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Depth scale

051014151720253031

The lake

Survey readout

Sixmile Lake is mapped to a depth of 31 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 386 acres in Charlevoix County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 31 ft
Mean depth: 13 ft · estimated
Surface area: 386 acres
Estimated volume: 4,481 acre-ft · 1,460M gal
Shoreline: 8.66 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 6% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details9 contours

Contour depths: 0–31 ft
Recorded point soundings: 31 ft, 31 ft, 17 ft, 17 ft, 14 ft, 14 ft

33.9% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 23.1% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Charlevoix County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 23 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

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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: 45.12397, -85.20434
MI DNR lake ID: L9804
Vertical exaggeration: 2.63×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.5 MB

Paddling

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

58 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Sixmile Lake has a mostly natural, lightly 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

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	18.9 of 30	70% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (20% forest, 37% wetland; 24% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	13.8 of 25	mean fetch 1,218 m · 10% 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	12.8 of 15	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 4 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Mixed	5.1 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 31 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 3,864 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 6% 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 — 20% forest and 37% 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

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).

Muskellunge

Largemouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass

Crappie

Yellow Perch

Rock Bass

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 1998) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 6 species found here — 5 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.

MuskellungeSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below

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).

MuskellungeSpecial rulesNamed in a fisheries order for this lake — see the rule text below

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).

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).

Yellow PerchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

Official rule text for this lake

“the minimum size limit for Muskellunge is 46-inches.” — FO-206

“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 · 1994–2025

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.

17Catches recorded

6Species

Crappie9 recorded · to 15.5″ · latest 2025

Muskellunge4 recorded · to 51.5″ · latest 2024

Largemouth Bass1 recorded · to 22.8″ · latest 1994

Rock Bass1 recorded · to 11.5″ · latest 2022

Smallmouth Bass1 recorded · to 21.2″ · latest 2022

Yellow Perch1 recorded · to 14.2″ · latest 2019

Biggest on record

Muskellunge51.5″ · 1996 · spincasting · rapala minnow spoon

Muskellunge47.2″ · 2024 · spincasting · artificial lure

Muskellunge46.2″ · 2004 · drift fishing · night crawler

Muskellunge45.5″ · 2021 · trolling · artificial lure

Largemouth Bass22.8″ · 1994 · spincasting · buzz bait

Bait: artificial lure (4) · live bait (3) · combination (1)
Method: spincasting (7) · ice fishing (3) · trolling (2) · drift fishing (2)

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 · 1985–1998

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

Walleye57,950 stocked · 1985–1998 · 12 plantings

No stockings recorded since 1998 — shown as history.

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

4 records

Mussels & snails

Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

Eurasian Watermilfoil
Hybrid Watermilfoil
Purple Loosestrife

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.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campground≈1.3 mi

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

Beck's Bait and Tackle LLC≈3.7 mi · (231) 222-2004801 Water St, East Jordan · Google · Apple

Lake Side Liquor & Party Store≈4.5 mi2410 Rushton Rd, Central Lake · Google · Apple

East Port Market≈7.2 mi5431 US Hwy 31, Eastport · 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

Sixmile Lake — common questions

How deep is Sixmile Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Sixmile Lake is 31 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 Sixmile Lake?

Sixmile Lake covers about 386 acres in Charlevoix County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Sixmile Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Sixmile Lake is 13 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Sixmile Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, crappie, rock bass, yellow perch. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Sixmile Lake?

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