How deep is High Lake?

High Lake reaches a maximum depth of 90 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 11 closed depth contours over about 64 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 50 ft line.

Where is the deepest part of High Lake?

The deepest charted water on High Lake lies inside the 90 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 1.5 acres, 2.4% 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 High Lake is shallower than 50 feet?

About half. The 50 ft contour encloses 20 acres of the roughly 64 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 50 feet. The sharpest drop is between 40 and 50 feet, where the mapped water sheds 19 acres.

How accurate is this High 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

High Lake depth map

High Lake in Gogebic County, Michigan reaches a depth of 90 feet. High Lake is charted here across 11 closed depth contours, from the 5 ft line down to 90 ft, enclosing about 64 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 50 ft line, and only 1.5 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

High Lake depth chart: 11 depth contours from 5 to 90 ft

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

High Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
5 ft	64 acres	100%
10 ft	59 acres	92%
15 ft	53 acres	83%
20 ft	49 acres	77%
30 ft	48 acres	75%
40 ft	39 acres	60%
50 ft	20 acres	31%
60 ft	14 acres	22%
70 ft	9.8 acres	15%
78 ft	2.6 acres	4.1%
90 ft	1.5 acres	2.4%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 64 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.

Fishing High Lake: a stepped drop into deep water

About 64 acres of High Lake sit inside the survey's 5 ft contour, and half of that water is already gone by the 50 ft line: the drop to the deep basin comes in stages, each contour giving up another slice of water, rather than in one abrupt wall. The steepest break on the chart runs from 40 down to 50 ft: 19 acres of bottom fall away across 10 ft there, which makes that band the first contour to work. The deepest 90 ft contour holds 1.5 acres, 2.4% of the mapped water, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. 90 ft of water makes this a two-story fishery: warm-water fish hold the 5-to-50 ft ground while the basin can stay cold below the summer thermocline, and the traffic between the two runs along the 40–50 ft break at first and last light.

Ice fishing on High Lake

High Lake freezes later and less evenly than the shallow waters around it, and the winter bite sets up on the first real break rather than out over the 90 ft hole. The 40–50 ft band on the chart above is that edge: 19 acres of bottom tilt away there, and panfish and walleye slide up and down it through the day. Late ice pushes fish back onto the 5-to-50 ft flat. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

High Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is High Lake?: High Lake reaches a maximum depth of 90 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 11 closed depth contours over about 64 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 50 ft line.
Where is the deepest part of High Lake?: The deepest charted water on High Lake lies inside the 90 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 1.5 acres, 2.4% 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 High Lake is shallower than 50 feet?: About half. The 50 ft contour encloses 20 acres of the roughly 64 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 50 feet. The sharpest drop is between 40 and 50 feet, where the mapped water sheds 19 acres.
How accurate is this High 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 High Lake

Corey Lake depth map · 33 ft max · 1 mi away
Clark Lake depth map · 74 ft max · 2 mi away
Little Duck Lake depth map · 69 ft max · 3 mi away
Wilson Lake depth map · 60 ft max · 6 mi away
Schneider Lake depth map · 60 ft max · 7 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near High Lake

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

Corey Lake · 1 mi away
Clark Lake · 2 mi away
Little Duck Lake · 3 mi away

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