Michigan Lake Depths All Michigan lakes
NESW

Trueman Lake

Alger County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
35ft Max
depth
7.7 acres 7 contours
Paddling Index86Very GoodMedium confidenceaway from major roads · sheltered geometry · wooded shoreline
Get directions

Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Trueman Lake is mapped to a depth of 35 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 7.7 acres in Alger County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
35 ft
Mean depth
10.9 ft · estimated
Surface area
7.7 acres
Estimated volume
84 acre-ft · 27M gal
Shoreline
0.38 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation
4% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details7 contours
Contour depths
0–35 ft
Recorded point soundings
35 ft

57.9% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 18.9% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

Compare with another 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

Spot an error? Send a correction

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
46.30874, -86.66458
MI DNR lake ID
L34494
Vertical exaggeration
2.49×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
0.4 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
86 / 100Very GoodData confidence: Medium

Trueman Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well 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 settingExcellent30.2 of 3588% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (77% forest, 11% wetland; 10% developed)
Geometric wind exposureExcellent29.4 of 29mean fetch 178 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 isolationExcellent17.6 of 18relatively isolated from major roads · 2 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 133 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 4% 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 — 77% forest and 11% 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

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

Brook Troutstocked

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Golden Shiner (last planted 2001), Rainbow Trout (last planted 2000) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

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

Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 10" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · Type A) Five (5) trout, except that the daily possession limit shall not include more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.
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.
Designated Type A trout lake — season last Saturday in April - October 31; tackle: natural baits except minnows (dead or alive) and artificial lures may be used.
Brook TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 10" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · Type A) Five (5) trout, except that the daily possession limit shall not include more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.

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 · 1979–2025

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

Brook trout13,048 stocked · 1979–2025 · 42 plantings
Golden shiner3,745 stocked · 2001
Rainbow trout150 stocked · 2000

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.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance
Denman's Hardware Inc.≈6.9 mi320 E Superior St, Munising · Google · Apple
Hillside Party Store East LLC≈8.1 miE9825 Co Rd H15, Munising · Google · Apple
Midway General Store≈10.1 mi · (906) 573-2450N251 Federal Forest Hwy 13, Wetmore · 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

Trueman Lake — common questions

How deep is Trueman Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Trueman Lake is 35 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 Trueman Lake?

Trueman Lake covers about 7.7 acres in Alger County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Trueman Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Trueman Lake is 10.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Trueman Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brook trout. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Trueman Lake?

No public launch for Trueman 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.