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Indiana lake depth maps

Bear Lake depth map

Bear Lake in Noble County, Indiana reaches a depth of 55 feet. Bear Lake is charted here across 8 closed depth contours, from the 10 ft line down to 55 ft, enclosing about 103 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 35 ft line, and only 1 acres lie inside the deepest one. Every contour is on the interactive map below, free and without an account.

Data: Indiana DNR Lake Bathymetry (credit: Indiana DNR). Contours closed, checked and area-computed by Jordan Carter, founder of GilledIt · page updated

Bear Lake depth chart: 8 depth contours from 10 to 55 ft

Data: Indiana DNR Lake Bathymetry (credit: Indiana DNR), retrieved August 2026 · depths change over time · not for navigation

Bear Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contourWater inside itShare of mapped water
10 ft103 acres100%
15 ft88 acres86%
20 ft68 acres66%
25 ft52 acres51%
35 ft28 acres28%
45 ft13 acres12%
50 ft6.5 acres6.3%
55 ft1 acres1%

Acreages are computed from the closed Indiana DNR Lake Bathymetry contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 103 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.

Fishing Bear Lake: steep sides for its size

Inside its outermost 10 ft contour the survey charts about 103 acres of Bear Lake, with the 35 ft line enclosing half of it, so depth comes quickly here, with no long shallow margin before the bottom drops away. The sharpest change on the chart is between 15 and 20 ft, where the mapped water loses 20 acres in 5 ft of depth, that band is the contour to work first, because it is where the bottom stops being flat. The deepest 55 ft contour holds 1 acres, 1% of the mapped water, toward the southeastern corner of the lake. Nothing here reaches a true cold-water layer at 55 ft, so structure does the thermocline's work: the points and inside turns where the 15 and 20 ft lines pinch together fish hardest in early season, and again as fish follow bait back down in autumn.

Ice fishing on Bear Lake

At 55 ft, Bear 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 55 ft hole, 1 acres of it, at first light, then move up onto the 15–20 ft break as the sun gets up, and fish the flats inside the 35 ft line through the middle of the day. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Bear Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Bear Lake?
Bear Lake reaches a maximum depth of 55 feet in the Indiana DNR Lake Bathymetry survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 8 closed depth contours over about 103 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 35 ft line.
Where is the deepest part of Bear Lake?
The deepest charted water on Bear Lake lies inside the 55 ft contour, toward the southeastern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 1 acres, 1% 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 Bear Lake is shallower than 35 feet?
About half. The 35 ft contour encloses 28 acres of the roughly 103 acres inside the outer 10 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 35 feet. The sharpest drop is between 15 and 20 feet, where the mapped water sheds 20 acres.
How accurate is this Bear Lake depth map?
The contours come from the Indiana DNR 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. Per Indiana DNR, the data are graphical representations for reference only, not a survey instrument. 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 Bear Lake

Mapped fishing venues near Bear Lake

Bear Lake in the venue directory covers access and fishing details for this water.

Fishing in Indiana needs a state license: Indiana fishing license guide · all Indiana venues