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Walloon Lake

Charlevoix County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
100ft Max
depth
4,509 acres 12 contours Public access
Paddling Index36Modest
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Walloon Lake is mapped to a depth of 100 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 4,509 acres in Charlevoix 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
100 ft
Mean depth
28.4 ft · estimated
Surface area
4,509 acres
Estimated volume
127,925 acre-ft · 41,684M gal
Shoreline
30.15 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
5% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Boat Launch
Additional depth details12 contours
Contour depths
0–100 ft
Recorded point soundings
100 ft, 94 ft, 52 ft

Other waters with a public launch on this map: Lake Michigan, Lake Charlevoix. Their launches are not marked on the model — only Walloon Lake’s own are.

29% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 46.3% is deeper than 20 ft; the survey shows 3 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
45.28906, -84.99648
MI DNR lake ID
L4651
Vertical exaggeration
10.84× below the waterline; land at true scale
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.3 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
36 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Walloon Lake has a partly natural setting, long open-water fetch, substantial nearby higher-volume roads. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingGood14.0 of 3055% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (38% forest, 14% wetland; 23% developed)
Geometric wind exposureModest1.2 of 25mean fetch 4,206 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long open-water 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 152 sites with DNR boating-facility records · 2 ramp lanes · 27 trailer spaces
Road isolationModest0.8 of 15substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 187 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 12,863 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
Moderate — 38% forest and 14% 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

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

Northern Pike
Lake Trout
White Sucker
Smallmouth Bass
Bullhead
Bluegill
Rock Bass
Pumpkinseed

Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Rainbow Trout (last planted 2008), Brown Trout (last planted 2000), Brook Trout (last planted 1987) — not shown above.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 8 species found here — 8 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).
BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)
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 B trout lake — season open for the entire year; tackle: all types of natural bait and artificial lures may be used.
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).
BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)
Lake TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · Type B) Five (5) trout, except that the daily possession limit shall not include more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.
Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 2 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
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).
Rock BassOpen 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).
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).
White SuckerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

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 · 1994–2025

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.

51Catches recorded
8Species
Rock Bass25 recorded · to 13″
Bluegill8 recorded · to 11.8″
Smallmouth Bass8 recorded · to 24″
Bullhead4 recorded · to 15″
Catch details by species8 species
Rock Bass25 recorded · to 13″ · latest 2023
Bluegill8 recorded · to 11.8″ · latest 2025
Smallmouth Bass8 recorded · to 24″ · latest 2015
Bullhead4 recorded · to 15″ · latest 1998
Northern Pike3 recorded · to 42″ · latest 2024
Lake Trout1 recorded · to 39″ · latest 2017
Pumpkinseed1 recorded · to 9.2″ · latest 2024
White Sucker1 recorded · to 21″ · latest 2023

Biggest on record

Northern Pike42″ · 2021 · spincasting · artificial lure
Northern Pike40″ · 2022 · ice fishing · live bait
Lake Trout39″ · 2017 · ice fishing
Northern Pike38.8″ · 2024 · still fishing · live bait
Smallmouth Bass24″ · 2015 · still fishing · minnow

Bait: artificial lure (12) · live bait (7) · pike minnow (4)
Method: spincasting (20) · trolling (12) · still fishing (11) · drift fishing (4)

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 · 1979–2008

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

Rainbow trout954,789 stocked · 1979–2008 · 89 plantings
Brown trout292,120 stocked · 1989–2000 · 28 plantings
Lake trout215,349 stocked · 1979–1989 · 17 plantings
Brook trout7,528 stocked · 1987

No stockings recorded since 2008 — shown as history.

Non-native species records

5 records

Mussels & snails

  • Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

  • Eurasian Watermilfoil
  • Narrow-leaved Cattail
  • Purple Loosestrife

Other invertebrates

  • Rusty Crayfish
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 · 4 mapped
🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 2 mapped
🏖 Beach / swim areaon the lake · 4 mapped
🎢 Playgroundon the lake · 7 mapped
🥪 Picnic areaon 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
Boyne Country Hardware Inc≈5.3 mi113 S Park St, Boyne City · Google · Apple
Cedar Swamp Sporting Goods II≈10 mi2429 N US 31 Hwy, Petoskey · Google · Apple
Beck's Bait and Tackle LLC≈11.7 mi · (231) 222-2004801 Water St, East Jordan · 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

Walloon Lake — common questions

How deep is Walloon Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Walloon Lake is 100 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 Walloon Lake?

Walloon Lake covers about 4,509 acres in Charlevoix County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Walloon Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Walloon Lake is 28.4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Walloon Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include lake trout, northern pike, smallmouth bass, bluegill, bullhead, pumpkinseed. The page lists all 8 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Walloon Lake?

Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 3 public access sites on Walloon Lake, including Walloon Lake.