How deep is Big Bradford Lake?

Big Bradford Lake reaches a maximum depth of 102 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 10 closed depth contours over about 231 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 70 ft line. The 102 ft figure is a single recorded sounding rather than a closed contour, so the deepest line you can actually trace on the map is 100 ft.

Where is the deepest part of Big Bradford Lake?

The deepest charted water on Big Bradford Lake lies inside the 100 ft contour, toward the middle of the lake. That contour encloses 26 acres, 11% 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 Big Bradford Lake is shallower than 70 feet?

About half. The 70 ft contour encloses 97 acres of the roughly 231 acres inside the outer 10 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 70 feet. The sharpest drop is between 10 and 20 feet, where the mapped water sheds 38 acres.

How accurate is this Big Bradford Lake depth map?

The contours come from the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours 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.

Michigan lake depth maps

Big Bradford Lake depth map

Big Bradford Lake in Crawford County, Michigan reaches a depth of 102 feet. Big Bradford Lake is charted here across 10 closed depth contours, from the 10 ft line down to 100 ft, enclosing about 231 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 70 ft line, and only 26 acres lie inside the deepest one. Every contour is on the interactive map below, free and without an account.

Data: Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours (public record). Contours closed, checked and area-computed by Jordan Carter, founder of GilledIt · page updated August 19, 2026

Big Bradford Lake depth chart: 10 depth contours from 10 to 100 ft

Data: Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours (public record), retrieved August 2026 · depths change over time · not for navigation

Big Bradford Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
10 ft	231 acres	100%
20 ft	193 acres	84%
30 ft	176 acres	76%
40 ft	158 acres	68%
50 ft	140 acres	61%
60 ft	119 acres	51%
70 ft	97 acres	42%
80 ft	71 acres	31%
90 ft	48 acres	21%
100 ft	26 acres	11%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 231 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 102 ft sounding, marked as a point rather than a closed contour, so it is not charted as a band.

Fishing Big Bradford Lake: steep walls and a big basin

The survey encloses about 231 acres of Big Bradford Lake inside its 10 ft contour, and half of that water lies inside the 70 ft line, so the bottom holds its depth well out from the bank rather than tapering off a long shallow margin. Between 10 and 20 ft the mapped water sheds 38 acres in 10 ft of depth, the sharpest change on the chart, start on that band, because it is where the bottom stops being flat. 26 acres, 11% of the mapped water, lie inside the deepest 100 ft contour, toward the middle of the lake. At 102 ft this is two-story water: the basin can stay cold below the summer thermocline while warm-water fish stay up on the 10-to-70 ft ground, and the fish that move between the two do it along the 10–20 ft break at first and last light.

Ice fishing on Big Bradford Lake

Deep water like Big Bradford Lake freezes later and less evenly than the shallow lakes around it, and the winter bite sets up on the first real break, not out over the 100 ft hole. That edge is the 10–20 ft band on the chart above, where 38 acres of bottom tilt away, and panfish and walleye work up and down it through the day. By late ice the fish push back onto the 10-to-70 ft flat. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Big Bradford Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Big Bradford Lake?: Big Bradford Lake reaches a maximum depth of 102 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 10 closed depth contours over about 231 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 70 ft line. The 102 ft figure is a single recorded sounding rather than a closed contour, so the deepest line you can actually trace on the map is 100 ft.
Where is the deepest part of Big Bradford Lake?: The deepest charted water on Big Bradford Lake lies inside the 100 ft contour, toward the middle of the lake. That contour encloses 26 acres, 11% 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 Big Bradford Lake is shallower than 70 feet?: About half. The 70 ft contour encloses 97 acres of the roughly 231 acres inside the outer 10 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 70 feet. The sharpest drop is between 10 and 20 feet, where the mapped water sheds 38 acres.
How accurate is this Big Bradford Lake depth map?: The contours come from the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours 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 Big Bradford Lake

Heart Lake depth map · 123 ft max · 2 mi away
Bridge Lake depth map · 87 ft max · 4 mi away
Big Chub Lake depth map · 74+ ft max · 4 mi away
Blue Lake depth map · 80+ ft max · 10 mi away
Big Lake depth map · 81 ft max · 12 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Big Bradford Lake

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

Heart Lake · 2 mi away
Bridge Lake · 4 mi away
Big Chub Lake · 4 mi away

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