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White Lake

Oakland County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
32ft Max
depth
652 acres 11 contours Public access
Paddling Index31Modest
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

White Lake is mapped to a depth of 32 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 652 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding
32 ft
Mean depth
9.6 ft · estimated
Surface area
652 acres
Estimated volume
6,229 acre-ft · 2,030M gal
Shoreline
7.35 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
12% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Boat Launch · Rec Passport
Additional depth details11 contours
Contour depths
0–32 ft
Recorded point soundings
32 ft, 30 ft, 28 ft, 25 ft, 24 ft, 18 ft

64.4% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 23.4% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
42.66976, -83.56513
MI DNR lake ID
L11561
Vertical exaggeration
2.59×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.6 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
31 / 100ModestData confidence: High

White Lake has a substantially developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, 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 settingModest0.6 of 3015% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (10% forest, 5% wetland; 77% developed)
Geometric wind exposureGood9.6 of 25mean fetch 1,788 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate 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 151 site with DNR boating-facility records · 2 ramp lanes · 27 trailer spaces
Road isolationModest0.8 of 15substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 125 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 30,715 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 12% 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 — 10% forest and 5% 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

14 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
Common Carp
Bowfin
Channel Catfish
Walleye
Brown Trout
Largemouth Bass
Smallmouth Bass
Bullhead
Crappie
Bluegill
Rock Bass
Warmouth
Pumpkinseed

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 14 species found here — 14 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.
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)
Brown TroutOpen to harvestMinimum size: 8" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-254 · unclassified inland lake) Five (5) trout, no more than three (3) trout 15 inches or greater.
BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no possession limit (2026 DNR digest · all other species)
Channel CatfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: 12" · Daily limit: 10 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
Common CarpOpen 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).
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).
WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 15" · Daily limit: 5 (FO-215 · statewide inland)
WarmouthOpen 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 · 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.

72Catches recorded
14Species
Crappie44 recorded · to 16.5″
Bluegill4 recorded · to 13.4″
Rock Bass4 recorded · to 12.8″
Bullhead3 recorded · to 14.6″
Catch details by species14 species
Crappie44 recorded · to 16.5″ · latest 2025
Bluegill4 recorded · to 13.4″ · latest 2022
Rock Bass4 recorded · to 12.8″ · latest 2022
Bullhead3 recorded · to 14.6″ · latest 2025
Common Carp3 recorded · to 36″ · latest 2025
Largemouth Bass3 recorded · to 22.5″ · latest 2023
Channel Catfish2 recorded · to 34.5″ · latest 2006
Northern Pike2 recorded · to 45″ · latest 2006
Smallmouth Bass2 recorded · to 21.5″ · latest 2017
Bowfin1 recorded · to 28.5″ · latest 2018
Brown Trout1 recorded · to 34″ · latest 1999
Pumpkinseed1 recorded · to 9″ · latest 2024
Walleye1 recorded · to 30″ · latest 1998
Warmouth1 recorded · to 9″ · latest 2003

Biggest on record

Northern Pike45″ · 2005 · spincasting
Northern Pike42″ · 2006 · spincasting
Common Carp36″ · 2024 · spincasting · artificial lure
Common Carp35.5″ · 1994 · still fishing · johnson beetle spin & worm
Channel Catfish34.5″ · 2006 · spincasting

Bait: artificial lure (18) · live bait (11) · combination (7)
Method: spincasting (33) · still fishing (14) · ice fishing (11) · trolling (6)

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 · 1980–2025

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

Walleye886,910 stocked · 1980–2025 · 39 plantings

Non-native species records

4 records

Plants & algae

  • Flowering Rush
  • Purple Loosestrife
  • Starry Stonewort
  • Yellow Iris
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
🎢 Playground≈0.5 mi
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
The Bait Shop LLC≈8.1 mi2574 AirPort Rd, Waterford · Google · Apple
Holden's Party Store≈8.1 mi · (248) 685-12602055 S Milford Rd, Milford · Google · Apple
Lakes Area Bait Shop≈8.2 mi · (248) 624-33332600 Benstein Rd, Wolverine Lake · 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

White Lake — common questions

How deep is White Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of White Lake is 32 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 White Lake?

White Lake covers about 652 acres in Oakland County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of White Lake?

The estimated mean depth of White Lake is 9.6 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

What fish are in White Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include brown trout, channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye. The page lists all 14 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to White Lake?

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