Swan Lake

Iron County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

20ft Max
depth

157 acres 4 contours Public access

Paddling Index72Goodhigh-speed boating prohibited · away from major roads · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

05101520

The lake

Survey readout

Swan Lake is mapped to a depth of 20 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 157 acres in Iron County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 20 ft
Mean depth: 13.4 ft · estimated
Surface area: 157 acres
Estimated volume: 2,108 acre-ft · 687M gal
Shoreline: 2.63 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 6% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details4 contours

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

17.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 3.1% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Iron County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 81 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: 46.16287, -88.39532
MI DNR lake ID: L45765
Vertical exaggeration: 3.0×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.6 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

High-speed boating prohibitedwhole lake, as mapped

Official rule details1 rule

High-speed boating prohibited“High-speed boating and water skiing prohibited”

Where the mapped control areas and the official regulation language differ, the language governs. Official county watercraft controls.

Paddling

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

72 / 100GoodData confidence: High

Swan Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, limited nearby major-road exposure. Watercraft controls: High-speed boating prohibited.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	21.9 of 30	77% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (64% forest, 12% wetland; 16% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	14.7 of 25	mean fetch 1,091 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	High-speed boating prohibited	12.8 of 15	High-speed boating prohibited
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 site with DNR boating-facility records · 1 ramp lane · 6 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Very Good	9.7 of 15	limited nearby major-road exposure · 14 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 3,034 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: Moderate — 64% forest and 12% 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

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

Muskellungestocked

Bluegill

Pumpkinseed

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 2003), Tiger Muskellunge (last planted 1979) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 3 species found here — 3 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).

MuskellungeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 42" · Limit: 1 per angler per year (FO-215 · statewide inland) Not a daily limit: one Muskellunge per angler per license year (April 1 – March 31), and harvest must be registered within 24 hours at Michigan.gov/RegisterFish. Catch-and-immediate-release is open all year (FO-215.23A Note 3).

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.

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).

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 · 1996–2008

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

Pumpkinseed11″ · 2008 · drift fishing · night crawler

Bluegill10″ · 1996 · drift fishing · crawler

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.

Muskellunge1,084 stocked · 2012–2018 · 4 plantings

Walleye85,437 stocked · 1979–2003 · 14 plantings

Tiger muskellunge660 stocked · 1979

Source: Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

Non-native species records

1 record

Plants & algae

Common Reed

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.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Crystal Bait≈5.4 mi · (906) 875-4434520 Crystal Falls, Crystal Falls · Google · Apple

Superior Sport & Feed LL LLC≈5.6 mi · (906) 841-113131 Superior Ave, Crystal Falls · Google · Apple

MICHI-AHO Resort≈9.9 mi2181 M-69, 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

Swan Lake — common questions

How deep is Swan Lake?

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

Swan Lake covers about 157 acres in Iron County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Swan Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Swan Lake is 13.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Swan Lake?

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

Is there public access to Swan Lake?

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