Connecticut lake depth maps
McDonough Lake depth map
McDonough Lake in Barkhamsted, New Hartford, Connecticut reaches a depth of 50 feet. McDonough Lake is charted here across 4 closed depth contours, from the 10 ft line down to 40 ft, enclosing about 272 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 30 ft line, and only 27 acres lie inside the deepest one. Every contour is on the interactive map below, free and without an account.
Data: CT DEEP Lake Bathymetry (CC0). Contours closed, checked and area-computed by Jordan Carter, founder of GilledIt · page updated
McDonough Lake depth chart: 4 depth contours from 10 to 40 ft
Data: CT DEEP Lake Bathymetry (CC0), retrieved August 2026 · depths change over time · not for navigation
| Depth contour | Water inside it | Share of mapped water |
|---|---|---|
| 10 ft | 272 acres | 100% |
| 20 ft | 164 acres | 60% |
| 30 ft | 81 acres | 30% |
| 40 ft | 27 acres | 10% |
Acreages are computed from the closed CT DEEP Lake Bathymetry contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 272 acres inside the outermost charted contour (the 10 ft line), which is the outer edge of the mapped water, several state files carry no 0 ft shoreline line, so this is not the same as a share of the lake's published surface area. The survey also records a 50 ft sounding, marked as a point rather than a closed contour, so it is not charted as a band.
Fishing McDonough Lake: steep sides for its size
About 272 acres of McDonough Lake sit inside the survey's 10 ft contour, and half of that water is already gone by the 30 ft line: depth comes quickly here, with no long shallow margin before the bottom drops away. The steepest break on the chart runs from 10 down to 20 ft: 108 acres of bottom fall away across 10 ft there, which makes that band the first contour to work. The deepest 40 ft contour holds 27 acres, 10% of the mapped water, toward the southeastern corner of the lake. Nothing here reaches a true cold-water layer at 50 ft, so structure does the thermocline's work: the points and inside turns where the 10 and 20 ft lines pinch together fish hardest in early season, and again as fish follow bait back down in autumn.
Ice fishing on McDonough Lake
At 50 ft, McDonough Lake is a workable ice depth: deep enough to hold fish all winter without the slow freeze-up of a big basin. Start on the 40 ft hole, 27 acres of it, at first light, then move up onto the 10–20 ft break as the sun gets up, and fish the flats inside the 30 ft line through the middle of the day. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.
McDonough Lake depth map FAQs
- How deep is McDonough Lake?
- McDonough Lake reaches a maximum depth of 50 feet in the CT DEEP Lake Bathymetry survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 4 closed depth contours over about 272 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 30 ft line. The 50 ft figure is a single recorded sounding rather than a closed contour, so the deepest line you can actually trace on the map is 40 ft.
- Where is the deepest part of McDonough Lake?
- The deepest charted water on McDonough Lake lies inside the 40 ft contour, toward the southeastern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 27 acres, 10% of the mapped water, so it is a small target on a small water, the depth chart above gives the contour to line up on.
- How much of McDonough Lake is shallower than 30 feet?
- About half. The 30 ft contour encloses 81 acres of the roughly 272 acres inside the outer 10 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 30 feet. The sharpest drop is between 10 and 20 feet, where the mapped water sheds 108 acres.
- How accurate is this McDonough Lake depth map?
- The contours come from the CT DEEP Lake Bathymetry survey, retrieved August 2026 and last rebuilt on August 19, 2026. Depths change over time with water levels and sediment, so treat this map as a planning guide for fishing, and never use it for navigation. Acreages are computed from the published contour geometry, not from a separate area survey, so read them as close approximations.
Depth maps for lakes near McDonough Lake
- West Hill Pond depth map · 60 ft max · 4 mi away
- Highland Lake depth map · 60 ft max · 7 mi away
- West Branch Reservoir depth map · 90 ft max · 8 mi away
- Twin Lakes South depth map · 18 ft max · 9 mi away
- Park Pond depth map · 15 ft max · 10 mi away
Mapped fishing venues near McDonough Lake
McDonough Lake in the venue directory covers access and fishing details for this water.
- West Hill Pond · 4 mi away
- Highland Lake · 7 mi away
- West Branch Reservoir · 8 mi away
Fishing in Connecticut needs a state license: Connecticut fishing license guide · all Connecticut venues