Budd Lake
Clare County, Michigan173 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Budd Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 30 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Budd Lake in Clare County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 173.2 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Budd Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 30 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Budd Lake is a 173-acre lake in Clare County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 30 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including Blackchin shiner, Bluegill, and Bluntnose minnow. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Budd Lake covers about 170 acres in Clare County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Budd Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Budd Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Deep water30 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Budd Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Budd Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Budd Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 40 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Budd Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Surface area
173 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Budd LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Budd Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Budd Lake in Clare County, Michigan — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Budd Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Budd Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Clare County
Frequently asked questions about Budd Lake
Where is Budd Lake?
- Budd Lake is a lake in Clare County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Budd Lake?
- Budd Lake in Clare County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 173.2 acres.
Is Budd Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Budd Lake?
- Budd Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake covers 173.2 acres.
What fish are in Budd Lake?
- Fish species found in Budd Lake include Blackchin shiner, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Iowa darter, Largemouth bass. Budd Lake is located in Clare County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Budd Lake?
- Budd Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Budd Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Budd Lake?
- Budd Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Michigan's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Budd Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
11 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS11 samples · 2022
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory