Pickerel Lake
Kalkaska County, Michigan94 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Pickerel Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 72 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Pickerel Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 72 ft. Surface area: 93.5 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Pickerel Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 72 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Pickerel Lake is a 94-acre lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 72 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 29 documented fish species including Blackchin shiner, Blacknose shiner, and Bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2021-09-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Pickerel Lake covers about 94 acres in Kalkaska County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Pickerel Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Pickerel Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water20 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing29 species recorded
- Deep water72 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 Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Pickerel 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 20 ft down. TSI 34.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 20ft | 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. | 34 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Pickerel Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
72 ft
Surface area
94 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Pickerel Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Pickerel Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.06 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.1 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Kalkaska County
Frequently asked questions about Pickerel Lake
Where is Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 72 ft. Surface area: 93.5 acres.
Is Pickerel Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake has a maximum depth of 72 feet. The lake covers 93.5 acres.
What fish are in Pickerel Lake?
- Fish species found in Pickerel Lake include Blackchin shiner, Blacknose shiner, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Bowfin, Brown bullhead, Common shiner, Creek chub, Golden shiner, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, Lake herring, Largemouth bass, Least darter, Longnose gar, Northern Logperch, Northern pearl dace, Northern pike, Pumpkinseed, Rock bass, Sand shiner, Slimy sculpin, Smallmouth bass, Walleye, Western banded killifish, Western blacknose dace, White sucker, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch. Pickerel Lake is located in Kalkaska County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Pickerel Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Pickerel Lake?
- Pickerel 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 Pickerel Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
84 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS84 samples · 2016–2021
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