Van Etten Lake fishing: Walleye, Yellow Perch, American Eel

Lake · Michigan

Van Etten Lake, Michigan: Walleye. 1 trailer ramp. At least 30 ft deep.

Lake

Surface area: 1,405 acres2.2 mi²from the mapped waterbody polygon; varies with water level
Maximum depth: 30 ftdeep
Fish species: 4
Access points: 1
Access: open to the public

Water claritynow 5.3 ft

Van Etten Lake fishing: Walleye, Yellow Perch, American Eel

Target species: Walleye, Yellow Perch, American Eel, Flathead Catfish
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Van Etten Lake State Forest Campground, 1 lane.

The lake

Van Etten Lake covers 1,405 acres in Michigan, across Iosco County. It is a lake: the deepest point measured is at least 30 feet (9.1 m). Our records hold 4 species for this water.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 30 ft (9.1 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. We hold 118 depth contour lines for this water.

0–2 ft: 2.2% of the water
2–4 ft: 2.1% of the water
4–6 ft: 2.8% of the water
6–8 ft: 3.1% of the water
8–10 ft: 3.5% of the water
10–12 ft: 4.1% of the water
12–14 ft: 4.4% of the water
14–16 ft: 4.8% of the water
16–18 ft: 5.8% of the water
18–20 ft: 6.4% of the water
20–22 ft: 7.8% of the water
22–24 ft: 7.2% of the water
24–26 ft: 8.6% of the water
26–28 ft: 7.7% of the water
28–30 ft: 29.5% of the water

4 target fish, led by Walleye

Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.
American Eel — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
Flathead Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 4–8.5 feet on our readings, averaging 6.2 feet, from 215 readings. These readings span 2017–2023.

Stocking: 1,635,609 fish, 1979–2022

Michigan DNR records list 1,635,609 fish released into this water from 1979 to 2022. The latest stocking on record is from 2022, more than three years ago.

Walleye: 1,309,552 in 1979–2022
Yellow Perch: 2,857 in 1979

2 more species on the stocking list.

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

Van Etten Lake State Forest Campground — 1 lane, open 8am–10pm, restrooms. Tawas Point State Park. phone 989-362-5041

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

What is hard here

Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.

Where this data comes from

Michigan EGLE — Michigan EGLE: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.

Right now — USGS sensors

Latest readings from U.S. Geological Survey gauges that stand in this water body or on its shore. Shown only if the reading is less than 48 hours old.

Water level: 588.58 ftelevation above NGVD29Nov 6, 04:15 PM UTC · USGS 442656083202301 VAN ETTEN LAKE AT OSCODA, MI

Provisional data: USGS may still revise it. Times are in UTC. U.S. Geological Survey, Water Data for the Nation (provisional data) — public domain

Cyanobacteria from satellite — EPA CyAN

The EPA's Cyanobacteria Assessment Network estimates cyanobacteria from Sentinel-3 satellite images. This is the latest image in which the water was visible through the clouds.

Image date: October 28, 2026
Highest level over at least 1% of the water: Below detection

A satellite estimate with 300 m pixels, not a water sample; pixels near the shore are masked. Levels are CyAN's own scale: low below 100,000 cells/mL, medium up to about 300,000, high up to about 1,000,000, very high above that. EPA Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN), Sentinel-3 OLCI satellite imagery — public domain

State monitoring data: 245 readings from 2 stations. Shown are the full-period range, the mean and the latest sample.

Clarity

6.17ftmean

clear

min 2.49max 10.5

latest 2.99 ft · Sep 10, 2023

Over five feet — clear water. Fish are wary, so a finer leader and a longer cast pay off.

215 readings · 2017–2023

Samples are taken irregularly and at different points of the water body, so the mean describes the water as a whole, not one spot on one day.

State assessment in its 2026 report

How the state rated this water in its Clean Water Act report to the EPA.

VAN ETTEN LAKE · 2026 report · Michigan · state report

Aquatic life: Not supporting
Listed causes: PCBs, PFAS, nutrients

EPA ATTAINS — state water quality assessments under the Clean Water Act (303(d)/305(b)), public domain

These are past samples, not a safety check. Before swimming, eating your catch or going out on ice, check current conditions with local health and wildlife authorities.

1 access point on this water. Tap a row to find it on the map.

Trailer ramps · 1

You can back a trailer down these.

Ramp	Lanes	Trailer spaces	Surface	Dock	Restroom	Fee	Hours	Show on map
Van Etten Lake State Forest Campground	1	—	—	—	—	—	0800_2200

Campgrounds by Van Etten Lake — closest to the water first. Tap a row to see it on the map; the link goes to the campground's official page.

Campground	Run by	To the water	Official page	Show on map
Van Etten Lake State Forest Campground	Michigan Department of Natural Resources	310 ft	—

Official stocking: 1,635,609 fish across 1979–2022. This is not a stock estimate — it is what the state released into the water, and how much.

Species	Fish	Years
Walleye	1,309,552	1979, 1980, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022
Chinook Salmon	295,000	1999
Tiger Muskellunge	28,200	1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989
Yellow Perch	2,857	1979