Bass Lake
Kalkaska County, MichiganView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity. No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- 29 ft max depth
- Limited data
Bass Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 18.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L.
- Clarity
- 18.5 ft
- Max depth
- ~29 ft est.
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
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Watch Bass Lake’s letter
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Free interactive depth-contour map of Bass Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 42 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Why Bass Lake has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Bass Lake, the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity. Sampling here has recorded water clarity and phosphorus, but not algae (chlorophyll-a).
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by EGLE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Bass Lake is a lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 29 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 12 documented fish species including Black bullhead, Blacknose shiner, and Bluntnose minnow.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-02. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Bass Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water18.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing12 species recorded
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Bass Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Crystal clear, you can see 18.5 ft down. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 18.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | Not graded |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 36 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~29 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~11 ft est. |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Michigan has not published bathymetry for Bass Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Fish Species
Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.
Fishing Bass Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.755 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -0.36 µg/L/yr | 6 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -0.03 µg/L/yr | 6 |
Graded lakes near Bass Lake
Bass Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Kalkaska County
Frequently asked questions about Bass Lake
Where is Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake is a lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Bass Lake?
- Bass Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 18.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L.
Is Bass Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bass Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Bass Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 29 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
What fish are in Bass Lake?
- Fish species found in Bass Lake include Black bullhead, Blacknose shiner, Bluntnose minnow, Creek chub, Finescale dace, Golden shiner, Iowa darter, Largemouth bass, Northern longear sunfish, Northern pearl dace, White sucker, Yellow perch. Bass Lake is located in Kalkaska County, Michigan.
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS8 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)