How deep is Syphon Lake?

Syphon Lake reaches a maximum depth of 160 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 8 closed depth contours over about 11 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 60 ft line.

Where is the deepest part of Syphon Lake?

The deepest charted water on Syphon Lake lies inside the 160 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner 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 Syphon Lake is shallower than 60 feet?

About half. The 60 ft contour encloses 4.3 acres of the roughly 11 acres inside the outer 20 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 60 feet. The sharpest drop is between 20 and 40 feet, where the mapped water sheds 4.3 acres.

How accurate is this Syphon 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

Syphon Lake depth map

Syphon Lake in Luce County, Michigan reaches a depth of 160 feet. Syphon Lake is charted here across 8 closed depth contours, from the 20 ft line down to 160 ft, enclosing about 11 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 60 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

Syphon Lake depth chart: 8 depth contours from 20 to 160 ft

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

Syphon Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
20 ft	11 acres	100%
40 ft	6.7 acres	62%
60 ft	4.3 acres	40%
80 ft	2.5 acres	23%
100 ft	1.5 acres	14%
120 ft	under 1 acre	8.6%
140 ft	under 1 acre	5.7%
160 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 11 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.

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

Inside its outermost 20 ft contour the survey charts about 11 acres of Syphon Lake, with the 60 ft line enclosing half of it, so most of this Luce County water is shallow and the depth is concentrated in one part of the basin. The sharpest change on the chart is between 20 and 40 ft, where the mapped water loses 4.3 acres in 20 ft of depth, that band is the contour to work first, because it is where the bottom stops being flat. The 160 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner 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 160 ft this is two-story water: the basin can stay cold below the summer thermocline while warm-water fish stay up on the 20-to-60 ft ground, and the fish that move between the two do it along the 20–40 ft break at first and last light.

Ice fishing on Syphon Lake

Deep water like Syphon 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 160 ft hole. That edge is the 20–40 ft band on the chart above, where 4.3 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 20-to-60 ft flat. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Syphon Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Syphon Lake?: Syphon Lake reaches a maximum depth of 160 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 8 closed depth contours over about 11 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 60 ft line.
Where is the deepest part of Syphon Lake?: The deepest charted water on Syphon Lake lies inside the 160 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner 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 Syphon Lake is shallower than 60 feet?: About half. The 60 ft contour encloses 4.3 acres of the roughly 11 acres inside the outer 20 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 60 feet. The sharpest drop is between 20 and 40 feet, where the mapped water sheds 4.3 acres.
How accurate is this Syphon 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 Syphon Lake

North Belle Lake depth map · 70+ ft max · 4 mi away
Long Lake depth map · 71 ft max · 11 mi away
Camp Eight Lake depth map · 74+ ft max · 11 mi away
East Twin Lake depth map · 61 ft max · 14 mi away
Grand Sable Lake depth map · 85+ ft max · 19 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Syphon Lake

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

North Belle Lake · 4 mi away
Long Lake · 11 mi away
Camp Eight Lake · 11 mi away

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