How deep is Iron Lake?

Iron Lake is at least 45 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 35 ft contour, and the water may run deeper still.

Where is the deepest part of Iron Lake?

The deepest charted water on Iron Lake lies inside the 35 ft contour, toward the southwestern corner of the lake. That contour encloses under an acre, 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 Iron Lake is shallower than 25 feet?

About half. The 25 ft contour encloses 40 acres of the roughly 175 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 25 feet. The sharpest drop is between 15 and 20 feet, where the mapped water sheds 59 acres.

How accurate is this Iron 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

Iron Lake depth map

Iron Lake in Iron County, Michigan reaches a depth of more than 45 feet at its deepest surveyed sounding. Iron Lake is charted here across 6 closed depth contours, from the 5 ft line down to 35 ft, enclosing about 175 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 25 ft line, and only under an acre 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

Iron Lake depth chart: 6 depth contours from 5 to 35 ft

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

Iron Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
5 ft	175 acres	100%
15 ft	151 acres	87%
20 ft	92 acres	53%
25 ft	40 acres	23%
30 ft	3.4 acres	1.9%
35 ft	under 1 acre	under 1%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 175 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 45 ft sounding, marked as a point rather than a closed contour, so it is not charted as a band.

Fishing Iron Lake: steep sides for its size

The survey encloses about 175 acres of Iron Lake inside its 5 ft contour, and half of that water lies inside the 25 ft line, so depth comes quickly here, with no long shallow margin before the bottom drops away. Between 15 and 20 ft the mapped water sheds 59 acres in 5 ft of depth, the sharpest change on the chart, start on that band, because it is where the bottom stops being flat. Inside the 35 ft contour there is under an acre of water, toward the southwestern corner of the lake: a single pocket rather than a basin, and worth a drift over in high summer. Nothing here reaches a true cold-water layer at 45 ft, so structure does the thermocline's work: the points and inside turns where the 15 and 20 ft lines pinch together fish hardest in early season, and again as fish follow bait back down in autumn.

Ice fishing on Iron Lake

At 45 ft, Iron Lake is a workable ice depth: deep enough to hold fish all winter without the slow freeze-up of a big basin. Start on the 35 ft hole, 0.4 acres of it, at first light, then move up onto the 15–20 ft break as the sun gets up, and fish the flats inside the 25 ft line through the middle of the day. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Iron Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Iron Lake?: Iron Lake is at least 45 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 35 ft contour, and the water may run deeper still.
Where is the deepest part of Iron Lake?: The deepest charted water on Iron Lake lies inside the 35 ft contour, toward the southwestern corner of the lake. That contour encloses under an acre, 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 Iron Lake is shallower than 25 feet?: About half. The 25 ft contour encloses 40 acres of the roughly 175 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 25 feet. The sharpest drop is between 15 and 20 feet, where the mapped water sheds 59 acres.
How accurate is this Iron 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 Iron Lake

Chicagon Lake depth map · 110+ ft max · 9 mi away
Long Lake depth map · 105 ft max · 10 mi away
Golden Lake depth map · 100 ft max · 11 mi away
First Fortune Lake depth map · 70+ ft max · 12 mi away
Second Fortune Lake depth map · 80 ft max · 12 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Iron Lake

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

Chicagon Lake · 9 mi away
Long Lake · 10 mi away
Golden Lake · 11 mi away

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