Thunder Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Thunder Lake is mapped to a depth of 20 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 330 acres in Schoolcraft 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
- 7.1 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 330 acres
- Estimated volume
- 2,349 acre-ft · 766M gal
- Shoreline
- 5.04 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 5% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details4 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–20 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 20 ft
63.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 1% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.
Compare with another lakeProvenance
Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.
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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
- 46.10019, -86.47352
- MI DNR lake ID
- L33291
- Vertical exaggeration
- 3.0×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.5 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Thunder 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
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Very Good | 26.3 of 35 | 75% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (39% forest, 35% wetland; 12% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Very Good | 17.9 of 29 | mean fetch 1,050 m · 8% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch |
| Watercraft controls | None identified | 8.8 of 18 | No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law. |
| Public access | Not listed | — | No 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 isolation | Excellent | 14.3 of 18 | relatively isolated from major roads · 10 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 384 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 5% 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 — 39% forest and 35% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from angler catches & active stocking6 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).
Walleyestocked
Smallmouth Bass
Bullhead
Crappie
Bluegill
Rock BassFishing 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.
Official rule text for this lake
“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
Notable catches
Master Angler program · 1994–2025Trophy-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.
Biggest on record
Bait: leech (6) · night crawler (5) · artificial lure (2)
Method: still fishing (14) · spincasting (10) · ice fishing (1) · drift fishing (1)
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 1984–2024Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
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.
Public fishing access
MI DNR family-friendly fishingFederal-managed · Free · No bathrooms available restrooms · Dirt parking
Amenities: Boat launch
Bait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceThunder Lake — common questions
How deep is Thunder Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Thunder 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 Thunder Lake?
Thunder Lake covers about 330 acres in Schoolcraft County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Thunder Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Thunder Lake is 7.1 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
What fish are in Thunder Lake?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include smallmouth bass, walleye, bluegill, bullhead, crappie, rock bass. The page shows the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Thunder Lake?
No public launch for Thunder 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.
