How deep is Portage Lake?

Portage Lake reaches a maximum depth of 60 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 7 closed depth contours over about 2,098 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 24 ft line. The 60 ft figure is a single recorded sounding rather than a closed contour, so the deepest line you can actually trace on the map is 50 ft.

Where is the deepest part of Portage Lake?

The deepest charted water on Portage Lake lies inside the 50 ft contour, toward the western side of the lake. That contour encloses 220 acres, 11% of the mapped water, so it is a small target on a big lake, the depth chart above gives the contour to line up on.

How much of Portage Lake is shallower than 24 feet?

About half. The 24 ft contour encloses 1,025 acres of the roughly 2,098 acres inside the outer 6 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 24 feet. The sharpest drop is between 6 and 12 feet, where the mapped water sheds 523 acres.

How accurate is this Portage 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

Portage Lake depth map

Portage Lake in Manistee County, Michigan reaches a depth of 60 feet. Portage Lake is charted here across 7 closed depth contours, from the 6 ft line down to 50 ft, enclosing about 2,098 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 24 ft line, and only 220 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

Portage Lake depth chart: 7 depth contours from 6 to 50 ft

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

Portage Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
6 ft	2,098 acres	100%
12 ft	1,575 acres	75%
18 ft	1,304 acres	62%
24 ft	1,025 acres	49%
30 ft	707 acres	34%
40 ft	503 acres	24%
50 ft	220 acres	11%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 2,098 acres inside the outermost charted contour (the 6 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 60 ft sounding, marked as a point rather than a closed contour, so it is not charted as a band.

Fishing Portage Lake: a stepped drop into deep water

Inside its outermost 6 ft contour the survey charts about 2,098 acres of Portage Lake, with the 24 ft line enclosing half of it, so the drop to the deep basin comes in stages, each contour giving up another slice of water, rather than in one abrupt wall. The sharpest change on the chart is between 6 and 12 ft, where the mapped water loses 523 acres in 6 ft of depth, that band is the contour to work first, because it is where the bottom stops being flat. The deepest 50 ft contour holds 220 acres, 11% of the mapped water, toward the western side of the lake. 60 ft of water makes this a two-story fishery: warm-water fish hold the 6-to-24 ft ground while the basin can stay cold below the summer thermocline, and the traffic between the two runs along the 6–12 ft break at first and last light.

Ice fishing on Portage Lake

Portage 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 50 ft hole. The 6–12 ft band on the chart above is that edge: 523 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 6-to-24 ft flat. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Portage Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Portage Lake?: Portage Lake reaches a maximum depth of 60 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 7 closed depth contours over about 2,098 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 24 ft line. The 60 ft figure is a single recorded sounding rather than a closed contour, so the deepest line you can actually trace on the map is 50 ft.
Where is the deepest part of Portage Lake?: The deepest charted water on Portage Lake lies inside the 50 ft contour, toward the western side of the lake. That contour encloses 220 acres, 11% of the mapped water, so it is a small target on a big lake, the depth chart above gives the contour to line up on.
How much of Portage Lake is shallower than 24 feet?: About half. The 24 ft contour encloses 1,025 acres of the roughly 2,098 acres inside the outer 6 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 24 feet. The sharpest drop is between 6 and 12 feet, where the mapped water sheds 523 acres.
How accurate is this Portage 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 Portage Lake

Pine Lake depth map · 50 ft max · 16 mi away
Crystal Lake depth map · 175+ ft max · 21 mi away
Hodenpyl Dam Pond depth map · 70+ ft max · 22 mi away
Ford Lake depth map · 84 ft max · 22 mi away
Bass Lake depth map · 45 ft max · 23 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Portage Lake

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

Pine Lake · 16 mi away
Crystal Lake · 21 mi away
Hodenpyl Dam Pond · 22 mi away

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