How deep is Clear Lake?

Clear Lake is more than 50 feet deep. The deepest contour in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey is the 50 foot line, and the lake continues deeper inside it.

Where is the deepest part of Clear Lake?

The deepest charted water on Clear Lake lies inside the 50 ft contour, toward the western side of the lake. That contour encloses 1.1 acres, 1.3% 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 Clear Lake is shallower than 30 feet?

About half. The 30 ft contour encloses 35 acres of the roughly 81 acres inside the outer 10 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 30 feet. The sharpest drop is between 30 and 35 feet, where the mapped water sheds 20 acres.

How accurate is this Clear 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

Clear Lake depth map

Clear Lake in Schoolcraft County, Michigan reaches a depth of more than 50 feet at its deepest surveyed contour. Clear Lake is charted here across 9 closed depth contours, from the 10 ft line down to 50 ft, enclosing about 81 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 30 ft line, and only 1.1 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

Clear Lake depth chart: 9 depth contours from 10 to 50 ft

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

Clear Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
10 ft	81 acres	100%
15 ft	71 acres	87%
20 ft	61 acres	75%
25 ft	48 acres	59%
30 ft	35 acres	44%
35 ft	15 acres	19%
40 ft	7.2 acres	8.9%
45 ft	3.1 acres	3.8%
50 ft	1.1 acres	1.3%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 81 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 Clear Lake: an evenly graded bottom

About 81 acres of Clear Lake sit inside the survey's 10 ft contour, and half of that water is already gone by the 30 ft line: the bottom falls away at a steady rate rather than shelving off or dropping in one step. The steepest break on the chart runs from 30 down to 35 ft: 20 acres of bottom fall away across 5 ft there, which makes that band the first contour to work. 1.1 acres, 1.3% of the mapped water, lie inside the deepest 50 ft contour, toward the western side of the lake. With 50 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 30 and 35 ft lines pinch together, hardest in early season and again as fish follow bait back down in autumn.

Ice fishing on Clear Lake

Clear Lake's 50 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 50 ft hole, all 1.1 acres of it; as the sun gets up, move onto the 30–35 ft break, and spend the middle of the day on the flats inside the 30 ft line. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Clear Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Clear Lake?: Clear Lake is more than 50 feet deep. The deepest contour in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey is the 50 foot line, and the lake continues deeper inside it.
Where is the deepest part of Clear Lake?: The deepest charted water on Clear Lake lies inside the 50 ft contour, toward the western side of the lake. That contour encloses 1.1 acres, 1.3% 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 Clear Lake is shallower than 30 feet?: About half. The 30 ft contour encloses 35 acres of the roughly 81 acres inside the outer 10 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 30 feet. The sharpest drop is between 30 and 35 feet, where the mapped water sheds 20 acres.
How accurate is this Clear 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 Clear Lake

Steuben Lake depth map · 55+ ft max · 3 mi away
McKeever Lake depth map · 65 ft max · 8 mi away
Island Lake depth map · 60+ ft max · 11 mi away
Dodge Lake depth map · 55+ ft max · 12 mi away
Round Lake depth map · 55+ ft max · 17 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Clear Lake

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

Steuben Lake · 3 mi away
McKeever Lake · 8 mi away
Island Lake · 11 mi away

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