How deep is Bishop Lake?

Bishop Lake is at least 54 feet deep. That figure is the deepest surveyed sounding in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey, a point measurement rather than a closed contour, so the deepest line you can actually trace on the map is the 40 ft contour, and the water may run deeper still.

Where is the deepest part of Bishop Lake?

The deepest charted water on Bishop Lake lies inside the 40 ft contour, toward the northeastern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 1.3 acres, 1.9% 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 Bishop Lake is shallower than 10 feet?

About half. The 10 ft contour encloses 26 acres of the roughly 70 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 10 feet. The sharpest drop is between 5 and 10 feet, where the mapped water sheds 44 acres.

How accurate is this Bishop 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

Bishop Lake depth map

Bishop Lake in Livingston County, Michigan reaches a depth of more than 54 feet at its deepest surveyed sounding. Bishop Lake is charted here across 6 closed depth contours, from the 5 ft line down to 40 ft, enclosing about 70 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 10 ft line, and only 1.3 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

Bishop Lake depth chart: 6 depth contours from 5 to 40 ft

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

Bishop Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
5 ft	70 acres	100%
10 ft	26 acres	38%
15 ft	19 acres	27%
20 ft	12 acres	17%
30 ft	4.3 acres	6.2%
40 ft	1.3 acres	1.9%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 70 acres inside the outermost charted contour (the 5 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 54 ft sounding, marked as a point rather than a closed contour, so it is not charted as a band.

Fishing Bishop Lake: a broad shallow flat

About 70 acres of Bishop Lake sit inside the survey's 5 ft contour, and half of that water is already gone by the 10 ft line: most of this Livingston County water is shallow and the depth is concentrated in one part of the basin. The steepest break on the chart runs from 5 down to 10 ft: 44 acres of bottom fall away across 5 ft there, which makes that band the first contour to work. 1.3 acres, 1.9% of the mapped water, lie inside the deepest 40 ft contour, toward the northeastern corner of the lake. With 54 ft at its deepest there is no true cold-water layer here, so structure does the work the thermocline does elsewhere: fish the points and inside turns where the 5 and 10 ft lines pinch together, hardest in early season and again as fish follow bait back down in autumn.

Ice fishing on Bishop Lake

Bishop Lake's 54 ft is a workable ice depth, enough water to hold fish all winter, without the slow freeze-up of a big basin. First light belongs on the 40 ft hole, all 1.3 acres of it; as the sun gets up, move onto the 5–10 ft break, and spend the middle of the day on the flats inside the 10 ft line. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Bishop Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Bishop Lake?: Bishop Lake is at least 54 feet deep. That figure is the deepest surveyed sounding in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey, a point measurement rather than a closed contour, so the deepest line you can actually trace on the map is the 40 ft contour, and the water may run deeper still.
Where is the deepest part of Bishop Lake?: The deepest charted water on Bishop Lake lies inside the 40 ft contour, toward the northeastern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 1.3 acres, 1.9% 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 Bishop Lake is shallower than 10 feet?: About half. The 10 ft contour encloses 26 acres of the roughly 70 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 10 feet. The sharpest drop is between 5 and 10 feet, where the mapped water sheds 44 acres.
How accurate is this Bishop 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 Bishop Lake

Ore Lake depth map · 81+ ft max · 3 mi away
Bass Lake depth map · 73 ft max · 3 mi away
Strawberry Lake depth map · 50+ ft max · 4 mi away
Lake Chemung depth map · 60+ ft max · 6 mi away
Whitmore Lake depth map · 69+ ft max · 7 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Bishop Lake

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

Ore Lake · 3 mi away
Bass Lake · 3 mi away
Strawberry Lake · 4 mi away

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