Cub Lake
Kalkaska County, Michigan57 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Cub Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 23 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Cub Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 57.4 acres.
Cub Lake is a 57-acre lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 23 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, and Largemouth bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Cub Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing5 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cub 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 Cub Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Cub Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 17.5 ft down. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.5ft | 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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Cub Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
23 ft
Surface area
57 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Cub 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 Cub Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Cub Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.4 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.09 µg/L/yr7 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Cub Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Flowing Well Trout FarmKalkaska · 3.1 mi away · NPDES MI0036692
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Kalkaska County
Frequently asked questions about Cub Lake
Where is Cub Lake?
- Cub Lake is a lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cub Lake?
- Cub Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 23 ft. Surface area: 57.4 acres.
Is Cub Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Cub Lake?
- Cub Lake has a maximum depth of 23 feet. The lake covers 57.4 acres.
What fish are in Cub Lake?
- Fish species found in Cub Lake include Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Largemouth bass, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch. Cub Lake is located in Kalkaska County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Cub Lake?
- Cub Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Cub Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Cub Lake?
- Cub 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 Cub Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
44 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS44 samples · 2016–2022
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory