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Squaw Lake

Marquette County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
80ft Max
depth
275 acres 16 contours Public access 20% weedy
Paddling Index73Goodaway from major roads · sheltered geometry · wooded shoreline
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Squaw Lake is mapped to a depth of 80 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 275 acres in Marquette County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
80 ft
Mean depth
26.9 ft · estimated
Surface area
275 acres
Estimated volume
7,383 acre-ft · 2,406M gal
Shoreline
4.77 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
20% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Boat Launch
Additional depth details16 contours
Contour depths
0–80 ft
Recorded point soundings
80 ft

24.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 58.7% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
46.29913, -88.06512
MI DNR lake ID
L44524
Vertical exaggeration
1.4×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.6 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
73 / 100GoodData confidence: High

Squaw Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, little 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 settingVery Good23.7 of 3080% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (66% forest, 9% wetland; 6% developed)
Geometric wind exposureVery Good13.8 of 25mean fetch 1,195 m · 3% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short 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 · 1 ramp lane · 6 trailer spaces
Road isolationExcellent15.0 of 15relatively isolated from major roads · 2 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 69 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
Moderate — approximately 20% 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 — 66% forest and 9% 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

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).

Walleye
Rainbow Troutstocked
Splake
Smallmouth Bass
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Brook Trout (last planted 2008), Brown Trout (last planted 2003), Lake Trout (last planted 1998) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 6 species found here — 6 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).
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).
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).
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).
Rainbow TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.
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).
SplakeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.
WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland)

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 · 1995–2021

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.

13Catches recorded
5Species
Bluegill8 recorded · to 12″ · latest 2020
Smallmouth Bass2 recorded · to 22.6″ · latest 2004
Pumpkinseed1 recorded · to 9″ · latest 2021
Splake1 recorded · to 35.1″ · latest 1997
Walleye1 recorded · to 31.5″ · latest 1997

Biggest on record

Splake35.1″ · 1997 · trolling
Walleye31.5″ · 1997 · trolling
Smallmouth Bass22.6″ · 2004 · spincasting
Smallmouth Bass21″ · 1995 · spincasting · rapala
Bluegill12″ · 2002 · drift fishing · night crawler

Bait: night crawler (5) · live bait (1)
Method: spincasting (6) · drift fishing (2) · trolling (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 · 1979–2018

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

Rainbow trout534,247 stocked · 1979–2018 · 55 plantings
Complete stocking history4 older species
Brook trout5,996 stocked · 2008
Splake208,665 stocked · 1981–2004 · 29 plantings
Brown trout9,150 stocked · 2001–2003 · 3 plantings
Lake trout14,756 stocked · 1979–1998 · 19 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.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance
⛻ Campgroundon 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
R Cabins≈7.2 miN12178 State Hwy M95, Channing · Google · Apple
Way Dam Backwaters Resort≈11.2 mi368 Kopfs Rd, Crystal Falls · 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

Squaw Lake — common questions

How deep is Squaw Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Squaw 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 Squaw Lake?

Squaw Lake covers about 275 acres in Marquette County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Squaw Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Squaw Lake is 26.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Squaw Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, splake, walleye, bluegill, pumpkinseed. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Squaw Lake?

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