How deep is Hart Lake?

Hart Lake is at least 29 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 25 ft contour, and the water may run deeper still.

Where is the deepest part of Hart Lake?

The deepest charted water on Hart Lake lies inside the 25 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 2 acres, under 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 Hart Lake is shallower than 10 feet?

About half. The 10 ft contour encloses 145 acres of the roughly 440 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 295 acres.

How accurate is this Hart 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

Hart Lake depth map

Hart Lake in Oceana County, Michigan reaches a depth of more than 29 feet at its deepest surveyed sounding. Hart Lake is charted here across 4 closed depth contours, from the 5 ft line down to 25 ft, enclosing about 440 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 10 ft line, and only 2 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

Hart Lake depth chart: 4 depth contours from 5 to 25 ft

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

Hart Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
5 ft	440 acres	100%
10 ft	145 acres	33%
20 ft	37 acres	8.3%
25 ft	2 acres	under 1%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 440 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 29 ft sounding, marked as a point rather than a closed contour, so it is not charted as a band.

Fishing Hart Lake: a broad shallow flat

Inside its outermost 5 ft contour the survey charts about 440 acres of Hart Lake, with the 10 ft line enclosing half of it, so most of this Oceana County water is shallow and the depth is concentrated in one part of the basin. The sharpest change on the chart is between 5 and 10 ft, where the mapped water loses 295 acres in 5 ft of depth, that band is the contour to work first, because it is where the bottom stops being flat. 2 acres, under 1% of the mapped water, lie inside the deepest 25 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. Topping out at 29 ft, weed growth structures this water more than depth does, but the 2-acre deep spot still concentrates fish in the heat of summer, and the one-contour depressions on the chart are the ones most anglers row straight over.

Ice fishing on Hart Lake

A shallow lake like Hart Lake is usually among the first to make safe ice, and once the weed beds die back the fish have very little deep water to spread into: just 2 acres inside the 25 ft contour. Start there, then hunt the subtle single-contour depressions across the 440-acre basin. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Hart Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Hart Lake?: Hart Lake is at least 29 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 25 ft contour, and the water may run deeper still.
Where is the deepest part of Hart Lake?: The deepest charted water on Hart Lake lies inside the 25 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 2 acres, under 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 Hart Lake is shallower than 10 feet?: About half. The 10 ft contour encloses 145 acres of the roughly 440 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 295 acres.
How accurate is this Hart 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 Hart Lake

McLaren Lake depth map · 70+ ft max · 16 mi away
Hamlin Lake depth map · 65+ ft max · 24 mi away
Woodland Lake depth map · 51+ ft max · 25 mi away
Ford Lake depth map · 84 ft max · 26 mi away
Fremont Lake depth map · 88+ ft max · 26 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Hart Lake

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

McLaren Lake · 16 mi away
Pere Marquette River · 19 mi away
Vigil Cove · 20 mi away

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