Little Traverse Bay
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Little Traverse Bay is mapped to a depth of 189 ft on the NOAA NCEI survey and covers about 22,527 acres in Emmet County, Michigan. Coverage is sparse: about 52% of this lake lies well away from any surveyed contour, so most of the shape shown there is interpolated between distant measurements rather than mapped.
Derived from NOAA NCEI Great Lakes bathymetry data.
The maximum depth and the “deepest” marker describe Little Traverse Bay itself. The map also renders the surrounding open-lake water inside the frame. Depths in that water reach about 358 ft.
- Deepest mapped contour
- 189 ft
- Surface area
- 22,527 acres
- Aquatic vegetation
- 0% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- Boat Launch
Additional depth details11 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–189 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 189 ft
Other waters with a public launch on this map: Susan Lake, Round Lake, Walloon Lake, Horton Creek. Their launches are not marked on the model — only Little Traverse Bay’s own are.
Compare with another lakeProvenance
Sources: NOAA NCEI Great Lakes Bathymetry, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.
⚠ NOT FOR NAVIGATION. This is a recreational depth visualisation built from historical soundings, not a nautical chart. Use official NOAA charts (ENC/RNC) for navigation. Depths are referenced to low water datum and actual water levels vary.Spot an error? Send a correction
Map details & sources5 sources
All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.
Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.
- Coordinates
- 45.40000, -85.04000
- NOAA lake ID
- NOAA-GL-LTB
- Vertical exaggeration
- 8.0× below the waterline; land at true scale
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.2 MB
Watercraft rules
county-enforced local controls · MI DNROfficial rule details1 rule
Fish you might catch
from angler catches9 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).
Chinook Salmon
Northern Pike
Coho Salmon
Walleye
Rainbow Trout
Freshwater Drum
Smallmouth Bass
Cisco
Yellow PerchFishing rules for this lake Beta
Size and daily limits for the 9 species found here — 9 open to harvest.
These are hook-and-line size, daily limit and season rules. Gear, spearing and bow fishing, spawning closures and rod limits are set by other Fisheries Orders and are not shown here.
From the 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations digest (General Fishing Regulations table and notes) / FO-215.23A (eff. 2023-09-15) / FO-252.26 (eff. 2026-04-01) / FO-240.26 / FO-253.26 (eff. 2026-04-01, Great Lakes trout and salmon by management unit) · verified 2026-08-24. Regulations can change — Michigan DNR rules are the controlling source; verify current regulations before fishing. Official regulations
Notable catches
Master Angler program · 2020–2025Trophy-size fish anglers caught here and registered with the DNR — what people have actually caught, distinct from what a survey netted or the state stocked below.
Catch details by species9 species
Biggest on record
Bait: artificial lure (20) · live bait (4) · flies (1)
Method: spin casting (12) · trolling (6) · still fishing (6)
Bait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceLittle Traverse Bay — common questions
How deep is Little Traverse Bay?
The deepest contour on the NOAA NCEI bathymetric survey of Little Traverse Bay is 189 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.
How big is Little Traverse Bay?
Little Traverse Bay covers about 22,527 acres in Emmet County, Michigan.
What fish are in Little Traverse Bay?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include chinook salmon, coho salmon, northern pike, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, walleye. The page lists all 9 species and the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Little Traverse Bay?
Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 3 public access sites on Little Traverse Bay, including Nine Mile Point.
