Wamplers Lake

Jackson County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

39ft Max
depth

794 acres 8 contours Public access

Paddling Index36Modest

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Depth scale

0510152029303539

The lake

Survey readout

Wamplers Lake is mapped to a depth of 39 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 794 acres in Jackson County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 39 ft
Mean depth: 8.6 ft · estimated
Surface area: 794 acres
Estimated volume: 6,800 acre-ft · 2,216M gal
Shoreline: 5.2 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch · Rec Passport

Additional depth details8 contours

Contour depths: 0–39 ft
Recorded point soundings: 39 ft

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

71.4% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 12.8% is deeper than 20 ft; the survey shows 2 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Jackson County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 36 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: 42.07362, -84.15765
MI DNR lake ID: L6273
Vertical exaggeration: 2.35×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

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

36 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Wamplers Lake has a substantially developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, 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	Modest	4.0 of 30	36% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (8% forest, 25% wetland; 43% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	7.5 of 25	mean fetch 2,188 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
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 · 4 ramp lanes · 84 trailer spaces
Road isolation	Mixed	4.3 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 67 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 6,757 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 2% 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: Limited — 8% forest and 25% 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

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

Bowfin

Largemouth Bass

Bullhead

Crappie

Redear Sunfish

Bluegill

Pumpkinseed

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 7 species found here — 7 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).

BowfinOpen 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.

BowfinOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)

CrappieOpen 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).

Largemouth 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).

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).

Redear SunfishOpen 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. 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 · 1995–2025

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.

64Catches recorded

7Species

Redear Sunfish45 recorded · to 12.5″

Bluegill9 recorded · to 11.1″

Largemouth Bass3 recorded · to 25″

Bowfin2 recorded · to 27″

Catch details by species7 species

Redear Sunfish45 recorded · to 12.5″ · latest 2025

Bluegill9 recorded · to 11.1″ · latest 2024

Largemouth Bass3 recorded · to 25″ · latest 2019

Bowfin2 recorded · to 27″ · latest 2023

Bullhead2 recorded · to 15″ · latest 2018

Crappie2 recorded · to 15″ · latest 2021

Pumpkinseed1 recorded · to 9.5″ · latest 1995

Biggest on record

Bowfin27″ · 2023 · spincasting · artificial lure

Bowfin27″ · 1995 · still fishing · worm

Largemouth Bass25″ · 2011 · spincasting

Largemouth Bass22.2″ · 2016 · still fishing

Largemouth Bass22″ · 2019 · spincasting

Bait: live bait (10) · worm (8) · night crawler (7)
Method: still fishing (23) · spincasting (22) · drift fishing (11) · ice fishing (8)

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

12 records

Mussels & snails

Freshwater Golden Clam
Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

Common Reed
Curly-leaf Pondweed
Eurasian Watermilfoil
Flowering Rush
Narrow-leaved Cattail
Purple Loosestrife
Starry Stonewort
Yellow Iris

Other invertebrates

Freshwater Jellyfish

Fish

Common Carp

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

⛻ Campground≈0.4 mi · 2 mapped

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 5 mapped

🏖 Beach / swim areaon the lake

🎢 Playgroundon the lake · 2 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

Brooklyn Convenience LLC≈3.4 mi · (517) 467-246811700 M-50, Brooklyn · Google · Apple

Knutson's Recreational Sales≈4.9 miPO Box 457 - 164 Wamplers Lake, Brooklyn · Google · Apple

Manito Beach Marina≈10.1 mi9517 Devils Lake Hwy, Manitou Beach · 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

Wamplers Lake — common questions

How deep is Wamplers Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Wamplers Lake is 39 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 Wamplers Lake?

Wamplers Lake covers about 794 acres in Jackson County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Wamplers Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Wamplers Lake is 8.6 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in Wamplers Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, bluegill, bowfin, bullhead, crappie, pumpkinseed. The page lists all 7 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Wamplers Lake?

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