How deep is Silver Lake?

Silver Lake is at least 96 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 90 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 90 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 2.9 acres, 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 Silver Lake is shallower than 40 feet?

About half. The 40 ft contour encloses 103 acres of the roughly 297 acres inside the outer 20 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 40 feet. The sharpest drop is between 20 and 30 feet, where the mapped water sheds 115 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 Grand Traverse County, Michigan reaches a depth of more than 96 feet at its deepest surveyed sounding. Silver Lake is charted here across 8 closed depth contours, from the 20 ft line down to 90 ft, enclosing about 297 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 40 ft line, and only 2.9 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

Silver Lake depth chart: 8 depth contours from 20 to 90 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
20 ft	297 acres	100%
30 ft	182 acres	61%
40 ft	103 acres	35%
50 ft	73 acres	24%
60 ft	47 acres	16%
70 ft	22 acres	7.5%
80 ft	11 acres	3.7%
90 ft	2.9 acres	1%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 297 acres inside the outermost charted contour (the 20 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 96 ft sounding, marked as a point rather than a closed contour, so it is not charted as a band.

Fishing Silver Lake: a wide shallow flat over a deep hole

Inside its outermost 20 ft contour the survey charts about 297 acres of Silver Lake, with the 40 ft line enclosing half of it, so the bulk of this Grand Traverse County water sits on a shallow flat, with the real depth packed into one part of the basin. The sharpest change on the chart is between 20 and 30 ft, where the mapped water loses 115 acres in 10 ft of depth, that band is the contour to work first, because it is where the bottom stops being flat. The deepest 90 ft contour holds 2.9 acres, 1% of the mapped water, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. 96 ft of water makes this a two-story fishery: warm-water fish hold the 20-to-40 ft ground while the basin can stay cold below the summer thermocline, and the traffic between the two runs along the 20–30 ft break at first and last light.

Ice fishing on Silver Lake

Silver 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 20–30 ft band on the chart above is that edge: 115 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 20-to-40 ft flat. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Silver Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Silver Lake?: Silver Lake is at least 96 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 90 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 90 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 2.9 acres, 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 Silver Lake is shallower than 40 feet?: About half. The 40 ft contour encloses 103 acres of the roughly 297 acres inside the outer 20 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 40 feet. The sharpest drop is between 20 and 30 feet, where the mapped water sheds 115 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

Long Lake depth map · 88+ ft max · 4 mi away
Boardman Lake depth map · 73+ ft max · 5 mi away
Cedar Hedge Lake depth map · 69 ft max · 5 mi away
Duck Lake depth map · 98 ft max · 5 mi away
Green Lake depth map · 102 ft max · 7 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Silver Lake

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

Long Lake · 4 mi away
Boardman Lake · 5 mi away
Cedar Hedge Lake · 5 mi away

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