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Soldier Lake

Chippewa County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
21ft Max
depth
18 acres 5 contours
Paddling Index66MixedMedium confidencesheltered geometry · away from major roads
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Soldier Lake is mapped to a depth of 21 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 18 acres in Chippewa County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
21 ft
Mean depth
7.7 ft · estimated
Surface area
18 acres
Estimated volume
140 acre-ft · 46M gal
Shoreline
0.74 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation
0% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details5 contours
Contour depths
0–21 ft
Recorded point soundings
21 ft

63.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
46.34915, -84.86650
MI DNR lake ID
L25075
Vertical exaggeration
2.97×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
1.6 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
66 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Soldier Lake has a partly natural 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

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingGood15.7 of 3558% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (43% forest, 3% wetland; 40% developed)
Geometric wind exposureExcellent29.4 of 29mean fetch 353 m · 100% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controlsNone identified8.8 of 18No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public accessNot listedNo 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 isolationVery Good12.1 of 18limited nearby major-road exposure · 10 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,985 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 0% 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 — 43% forest and 3% 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 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 active stocking

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

Largemouth Bassstocked
Bluegillstocked

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 2 species found here — 2 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).
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).
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).
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).

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 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.

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 1979–1997

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

Largemouth bass3,185 stocked · 1979–1997 · 7 plantings
Bluegill5,000 stocked · 1979

No stockings recorded since 1997 — shown as history.

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
⛻ Campgroundon the lake
🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 8 mapped
🏖 Beach / swim areaon 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
Trout Lake Speedy Mart LLC≈7.8 mi2161 M 123, Trout Lake · Google · Apple
Twin Cedars Resort≈13.1 mi21984 S Wegwas Dr, Trout Lake · 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

Soldier Lake — common questions

How deep is Soldier Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Soldier Lake is 21 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 Soldier Lake?

Soldier Lake covers about 18 acres in Chippewa County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Soldier Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Soldier Lake is 7.7 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Soldier Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, bluegill. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Soldier Lake?

No public launch for Soldier 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.