How deep is Silver Lake?

Silver Lake is at least 52 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 50 ft contour, and the water may run deeper still.

Where is the deepest part of Silver Lake?

The deepest charted water on Silver Lake lies inside the 50 ft contour, toward the northern end of the lake. That contour encloses under an acre, 1.9% 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 Silver Lake is shallower than 35 feet?

About half. The 35 ft contour encloses 15 acres of the roughly 36 acres inside the outer 10 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 35 feet. The sharpest drop is between 35 and 40 feet, where the mapped water sheds 6.8 acres.

How accurate is this Silver 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

Silver Lake depth map

Silver Lake in Clare County, Michigan reaches a depth of more than 52 feet at its deepest surveyed sounding. Silver Lake is charted here across 9 closed depth contours, from the 10 ft line down to 50 ft, enclosing about 36 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 35 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

Silver Lake depth chart: 9 depth contours from 10 to 50 ft

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

Silver Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
10 ft	36 acres	100%
15 ft	33 acres	92%
20 ft	29 acres	81%
25 ft	24 acres	65%
30 ft	19 acres	53%
35 ft	15 acres	41%
40 ft	8.2 acres	23%
45 ft	3.2 acres	8.9%
50 ft	under 1 acre	1.9%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 36 acres inside the outermost charted contour (the 10 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 52 ft sounding, marked as a point rather than a closed contour, so it is not charted as a band.

Fishing Silver Lake: steep sides for its size

Inside its outermost 10 ft contour the survey charts about 36 acres of Silver Lake, with the 35 ft line enclosing half of it, so depth comes quickly here, with no long shallow margin before the bottom drops away. The sharpest change on the chart is between 35 and 40 ft, where the mapped water loses 6.8 acres in 5 ft of depth, that band is the contour to work first, because it is where the bottom stops being flat. Inside the 50 ft contour there is under an acre of water, toward the northern end 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 52 ft, so structure does the thermocline's work: the points and inside turns where the 35 and 40 ft lines pinch together fish hardest in early season, and again as fish follow bait back down in autumn.

Ice fishing on Silver Lake

At 52 ft, Silver 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 50 ft hole, 0.7 acres of it, at first light, then move up onto the 35–40 ft break as the sun gets up, and fish the flats inside the 35 ft line through the middle of the day. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Silver Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Silver Lake?: Silver Lake is at least 52 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 50 ft contour, and the water may run deeper still.
Where is the deepest part of Silver Lake?: The deepest charted water on Silver Lake lies inside the 50 ft contour, toward the northern end of the lake. That contour encloses under an acre, 1.9% 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 Silver Lake is shallower than 35 feet?: About half. The 35 ft contour encloses 15 acres of the roughly 36 acres inside the outer 10 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 35 feet. The sharpest drop is between 35 and 40 feet, where the mapped water sheds 6.8 acres.
How accurate is this Silver 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 Silver Lake

Windover Lake depth map · 60+ ft max · 3 mi away
Boyles Creek depth map · 70+ ft max · 6 mi away
Five Lakes depth map · 60+ ft max · 9 mi away
Littlefield Lake depth map · 60+ ft max · 10 mi away
Little Long Lake depth map · 60+ ft max · 12 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Silver Lake

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

Windover Lake · 3 mi away
Boyles Creek · 6 mi away
Five Lakes · 9 mi away

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