Shavehead Lake
Cass County, Michigan294 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Shavehead Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 70 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Shavehead Lake in Cass County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Maximum depth: 70 ft. Surface area: 293.5 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Shavehead Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 70 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Shavehead Lake is a 294-acre lake in Cass County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 70 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 25 documented fish species including Black crappie, Blackchin shiner, and Blacknose shiner. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Shavehead Lake covers about 290 acres in Cass County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Shavehead Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Shavehead Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing25 species recorded
- Deep water70 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 Shavehead 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 Shavehead Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Shavehead Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Shavehead Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
70 ft
Surface area
294 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
794 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- West Harmon ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Shavehead Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Shavehead Lake in Cass 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 Shavehead Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Shavehead Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Worsening7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Shavehead Lake
Where is Shavehead Lake?
- Shavehead Lake is a lake in Cass County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Shavehead Lake?
- Shavehead Lake in Cass County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Maximum depth: 70 ft. Surface area: 293.5 acres.
Is Shavehead Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Shavehead Lake?
- Shavehead Lake has a maximum depth of 70 feet. The lake covers 293.5 acres.
What fish are in Shavehead Lake?
- Fish species found in Shavehead Lake include Black crappie, Blackchin shiner, Blacknose shiner, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Brook silverside, Brown bullhead, Golden shiner, Grass pickerel, Green sunfish, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, Lake chubsucker, Lake herring, Largemouth bass, Mimic shiner, Northern logperch, Pumpkinseed, Rock bass, Sand shiner, Tadpole madtom, Warmouth, Western blacknose dace, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch. Shavehead Lake is located in Cass County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Shavehead Lake?
- Shavehead Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include West Harmon Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Shavehead Lake?
- Shavehead 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 Shavehead Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
161 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS161 samples · 2016–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory