Stager Lake
Iron County, Michigan110 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Stager Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 55 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Stager Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 55 ft. Surface area: 109.5 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Stager Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 55 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Stager Lake is a 110-acre lake in Iron County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 55 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including Bluegill, Brook trout, and Common shiner. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Stager Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing9 species recorded
- Deep water55 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Stager Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Stager 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 Stager Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Stager 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 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13ft | 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 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Stager Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
55 ft
Surface area
110 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Stager LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Stager Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Stager Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.39 µg/L/yr7 years
EPA Impairment Status
Stager Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040301060409-04 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Iron County
Frequently asked questions about Stager Lake
Where is Stager Lake?
- Stager Lake is a lake in Iron County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Stager Lake?
- Stager Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 55 ft. Surface area: 109.5 acres.
Is Stager Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Stager Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Stager Lake?
- Stager Lake has a maximum depth of 55 feet. The lake covers 109.5 acres.
What fish are in Stager Lake?
- Fish species found in Stager Lake include Bluegill, Brook trout, Common shiner, Largemouth bass, Pumpkinseed, Smallmouth bass, Walleye, White sucker, Yellow perch. Stager Lake is located in Iron County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Stager Lake?
- Stager Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Stager Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Stager Lake?
- Stager 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 Stager Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
76 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
NALMS76 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory