Chief Lake

Chief Lake is a small inland lake with very little official information behind it, so treat it as a lake to check on before you plan around it. It lies in Manistee County across the line between Brown and Bear Lake townships, a short distance west of the small community of Chief.

No local speed, hour or horsepower limits are listed for the lake, so state boating law applies and it counts as an all-sports lake.

A 1932 state fisheries survey recorded it at 126 acres, a little under a mile long and about a quarter mile wide. It has no inlets, only a small outlet at the northwest end that runs mainly after heavy rain.

Most of what the state has published is historical. The Michigan DNR keeps an archived depth and vegetation map of Chief Lake on its Manistee County inland lake maps page, with a note that archived information may not reflect current conditions. Current official information on public access, a boat launch or fishing conditions is lacking, so check with the DNR or local officials before you visit.