St. Clair Lake

Antrim County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

20ft Max
depth

56 acres 4 contours Public access

Paddling Index64Mixedsheltered geometry

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Depth scale

05101520

The lake

Survey readout

St. Clair Lake is mapped to a depth of 20 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 56 acres in Antrim County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey (depths read from the survey's isobath field; this lake's summary-depth column is blank in the source).

Deepest mapped contour: 20 ft
Mean depth: 10.4 ft · estimated
Surface area: 56 acres
Estimated volume: 580 acre-ft · 189M gal
Shoreline: 2.32 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 18% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details4 contours

Contour depths: 0–20 ft
Recorded point soundings: 20 ft

Other waters with a public launch on this map: Ellsworth Lake. Their launches are not marked on the model — only St. Clair Lake’s own are.

44.1% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 7.2% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Antrim County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 28 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: 45.16682, -85.23157
MI DNR lake ID: L10591
Vertical exaggeration: 3.0×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.5 MB

Paddling

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

64 / 100MixedData confidence: High

St. Clair Lake has a partly natural setting, well sheltered geometry, substantial 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	Good	16.4 of 30	61% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (10% forest, 49% wetland; 22% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	24.4 of 25	mean fetch 480 m · 53% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
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 · 6 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Modest	3.3 of 15	substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 49 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: Moderate — approximately 18% 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 — 10% forest and 49% 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

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).

Muskellunge

Smallmouth Bass

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 2 species found here — 1 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

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).

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.

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

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).

Official rule text for this lake

“the minimum size limit for Muskellunge is 46-inches.” — 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. 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 · 2008

Master Angler catches recorded on this lake — too few to show a pattern, so they are listed individually.

Muskellunge54″ · 2008 · trolling

Smallmouth Bass22″ · 2008 · drift fishing

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.

Non-native species records

1 record

Plants & algae

Eurasian Watermilfoil

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

⛻ Campgroundon the lake

🏖 Beach / swim area≈0.1 mi

🎢 Playgroundon the lake · 6 mapped

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≈4.5 mi · (231) 222-2004801 Water St, East Jordan · Google · Apple

Lake Side Liquor & Party Store≈6.8 mi2410 Rushton Rd, Central Lake · Google · Apple

East Port Market≈6.9 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

St. Clair Lake — common questions

How deep is St. Clair Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of St. Clair Lake is 20 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 St. Clair Lake?

St. Clair Lake covers about 56 acres in Antrim County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of St. Clair Lake?

The estimated mean depth of St. Clair Lake is 10.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in St. Clair Lake?

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

Is there public access to St. Clair Lake?

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