Lake · Kalkaska, Michigan
Bear Lake
At a glance
- Area
- 127 ha (313 acres)
- Mean depth (estimated)
- ≈ 6.1 m (20 ft)
Mean depth: HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016)
Who lives here
- Brook trout Salvelinus fontinalisStocked · 2020 · Fish stocking: Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Fish Stocking Database)
- Brown trout Salmo truttaStocked · 2026 · Fish stocking: Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Fish Stocking Database)
- Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykissStocked · 2026 · Fish stocking: Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Fish Stocking Database)
Not listed doesn't mean no fish.
Stocking
| Year | Species | Stage | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 2026 | Brown trout | 9,999 | |
| Apr 20, 2026 | Brown trout | 4,899 | |
| Apr 20, 2026 | Rainbow trout | 5,200 | |
| Apr 16, 2025 | Brown trout | 15,595 | |
| Apr 16, 2025 | Rainbow trout | 5,200 | |
| Apr 2, 2024 | Rainbow trout | 5,495 | |
| Mar 21, 2024 | Brown trout | 14,700 | |
| Apr 18, 2023 | Brown trout | 2,217 | |
| Apr 18, 2023 | Brown trout | 11,998 | |
| Apr 18, 2023 | Rainbow trout | 4,800 | |
| Apr 21, 2022 | Brown trout | 9,641 | |
| Apr 18, 2022 | Brown trout | 6,157 | |
| Apr 18, 2022 | Rainbow trout | 5,000 | |
| Apr 15, 2021 | Rainbow trout | 4,999 | |
| Apr 5, 2021 | Brown trout | 9,360 | |
| Apr 5, 2021 | Brown trout | 6,240 | |
| Jun 9, 2020 | Brook trout | 744 | |
| Jun 9, 2020 | Rainbow trout | 1,984 | |
| Apr 27, 2020 | Rainbow trout | 4,800 | |
| Apr 13, 2020 | Brown trout | 11,000 |
As the agency publishes it. Newest first: 20 of 37.
Getting on the water
- Bear LakeBoat launch · Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Listed by public agencies. A listed site doesn't make the water or its shore open to fishing: when in doubt, it's unknown. Check signs and local rules.
The rules
Summary, not the law. Check the official regulations before you fish.
HuntGrid has no rules for this water yet.
Official regulations: Michigan Department of Natural Resources
What's biting
Not enough anglers have shared catches here lately. A species shows for a week once at least 5 anglers share catches of it.
From anglers who chose to share their catches in HuntGrid Fishing, each counted once, counts rounded to the nearest 5, published 3 days after the week ends and never changed. Never a spot, time or name.
About this page
Sources and licences:
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Hydrography Dataset Plus High Resolution (NHDPlus HR); U.S. Census Bureau, TIGER/Line® Shapefiles 2025: counties and states · Public domain (U.S. Government work, 17 U.S.C. §105)
- Lake mean depth: HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016, Nature Communications 7:13603), CC BY 4.0 · CC BY 4.0
- Fish stocking: Michigan Department of Natural Resources (Fish Stocking Database) · State of Michigan open data terms (https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=fc7739be5f5247e7bf7f2c6bc9471140, read 2026-10-19): "This dataset is a public record and, as more fully described below, there are no restrictions on the use, reproduction, or distribution of this dataset." The terms also carry a release of claims and an unlimited indemnity, accepted under the owner's 2026-10-19 rule. Credit the agency; remove the layer if the agency asks.
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources · No restrictions on the use, reproduction, or distribution (State of Michigan public record)
- Michigan DNR, Institute for Fisheries Research · Public record: no restrictions on use, reproduction or distribution (State of Michigan open data terms, provided as is)
The outline is drawn from the official water data credited above, without a basemap. These pages show no angler's catches, spots or tracks.