How deep is Mead Lake?

Mead Lake reaches a maximum depth of 68 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 14 closed depth contours over about 21 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 25 ft line.

Where is the deepest part of Mead Lake?

The deepest charted water on Mead Lake lies inside the 68 ft contour, toward the middle of the lake. That contour encloses under an acre, 1.7% 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 Mead Lake is shallower than 25 feet?

About half. The 25 ft contour encloses 11 acres of the roughly 21 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 25 feet. The sharpest drop is between 5 and 10 feet, where the mapped water sheds 4 acres.

How accurate is this Mead 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

Mead Lake depth map

Mead Lake in Kent County, Michigan reaches a depth of 68 feet. Mead Lake is charted here across 14 closed depth contours, from the 5 ft line down to 68 ft, enclosing about 21 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

Mead Lake depth chart: 14 depth contours from 5 to 68 ft

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

Mead Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
5 ft	21 acres	100%
10 ft	17 acres	82%
15 ft	16 acres	74%
20 ft	14 acres	65%
25 ft	11 acres	50%
30 ft	7.9 acres	38%
35 ft	6.4 acres	30%
40 ft	5 acres	24%
45 ft	4.1 acres	20%
50 ft	3.3 acres	16%
55 ft	2.6 acres	13%
60 ft	1.7 acres	8%
65 ft	1 acres	4.5%
68 ft	under 1 acre	1.7%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 21 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 Mead Lake: a stepped drop into deep water

The survey encloses about 21 acres of Mead Lake inside its 5 ft contour, and half of that water lies inside the 25 ft line, so the bottom steps down contour by contour into the deep basin rather than shelving flat or plunging all at once. Between 5 and 10 ft the mapped water sheds 4 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. The 68 ft contour, toward the middle of the lake, encloses under an acre of water, a single pocket rather than a basin, but one worth a drift over in high summer. At 68 ft this is two-story water: the basin can stay cold below the summer thermocline while warm-water fish stay up on the 5-to-25 ft ground, and the fish that move between the two do it along the 5–10 ft break at first and last light.

Ice fishing on Mead Lake

Deep water like Mead Lake freezes later and less evenly than the shallow lakes around it, and the winter bite sets up on the first real break, not out over the 68 ft hole. That edge is the 5–10 ft band on the chart above, where 4 acres of bottom tilt away, and panfish and walleye work up and down it through the day. By late ice the fish push back onto the 5-to-25 ft flat. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Mead Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Mead Lake?: Mead Lake reaches a maximum depth of 68 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 14 closed depth contours over about 21 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 25 ft line.
Where is the deepest part of Mead Lake?: The deepest charted water on Mead Lake lies inside the 68 ft contour, toward the middle of the lake. That contour encloses under an acre, 1.7% 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 Mead Lake is shallower than 25 feet?: About half. The 25 ft contour encloses 11 acres of the roughly 21 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 25 feet. The sharpest drop is between 5 and 10 feet, where the mapped water sheds 4 acres.
How accurate is this Mead 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 Mead Lake

Lime Lake depth map · 70+ ft max · 8 mi away
Half Moon Lake depth map · 82 ft max · 13 mi away
Scram Lake depth map · 85 ft max · 14 mi away
Baptist Lake depth map · 65+ ft max · 17 mi away
Green Lake depth map · 60+ ft max · 24 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Mead Lake

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

Lime Lake · 8 mi away
Half Moon Lake · 13 mi away
Scram Lake · 14 mi away

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