Whitefish Bay
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Whitefish Bay is mapped to a depth of 470 ft on the NOAA NCEI survey and covers about 351,378 acres in Chippewa County, Michigan.
Derived from NOAA NCEI Great Lakes bathymetry data.
The maximum depth and the “deepest” marker describe Whitefish Bay itself. The map also renders the surrounding open-lake water inside the frame. Deeper water may exist outside the bay within the mapped area.
- Deepest mapped contour
- 470 ft
- Surface area
- 351,378 acres
- Public access
- Boat Launch
Additional depth details16 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–470 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- No point soundings recorded in source
Other waters with a public launch on this map: Shelldrake Lake, Andrus Lake, East Branch Tahquameno. Their launches are not marked on the model — only Whitefish Bay’s own are.
Compare with another lakeProvenance
Sources: NOAA NCEI Great Lakes Bathymetry, USGS 3DEP, OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches, Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (Sentinel-2), processed by michiganlakedepths.com.
⚠ 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 Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.
- Coordinates
- 46.57500, -84.75000
- NOAA lake ID
- NOAA-GL-WFB
- Vertical exaggeration
- 8.0× below the waterline; land at true scale
- Basemap
- Copernicus Sentinel-2 · ESA, via Microsoft Planetary Computer
- Model size
- 2.2 MB
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).
Northern Pike
Atlantic Salmon
Coho Salmon
Burbot
Pink Salmon
Lake Whitefish
Smallmouth Bass
Menominee Whitefish
Rainbow SmeltFishing 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 · 2020–2024Trophy-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 (6) · live bait (4) · combination (4) · flies (3)
Method: spin casting (6) · ice fishing (5) · still fishing (4) · trolling (1)
Shipwrecks in Whitefish Bay 11 recorded · none with a verified position
Positions are published by the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council. 0 of 11 here have been verified by the state; the rest are approximate and are marked as such.
9 of these wrecks have a 3D reconstruction of the ship afloat — tap a labelled marker on the map, or the 3D preview button below. Only wrecks with a reconstruction are marked on the map; the rest are listed below.
- Ora EndressapproximateFish Tug · lost 1914 · capsized · snorkel-accessible full reconstruction10 ft
- YosemiteapproximatePropeller, Wood Freighter · lost 1892 · burned · snorkel-accessible full reconstruction10 ft
- Julia Palmer - Pendill Creek siteapproximateSteamer · lost 1848 · sunk as dock · snorkel-accessible full reconstruction10 ft
- W.S. CrosthwaiteapproximateSchooner Barge · lost 1904 · burned · snorkel-accessible full reconstruction15 ft
- SaturnapproximateSchooner Barge · lost 1872 · stranded · snorkel-accessible · 7 lives lost32 ft
- M.M. DrakeapproximateBulk Freighter · lost 1901 · collision full reconstruction50 ft
- SagamoreapproximateWhaleback Barge · lost 1901 · collision · 3 lives lost full reconstruction72 ft
- PantherapproximateBulk Freighter · lost 1916 · collision full reconstruction110 ft
- Sadie ThompsonapproximateBarge · lost 1950 · foundered114 ft
- ViennaapproximatePropeller, Wood Bulk Freighter · lost 1892 · collision full reconstruction130 ft
- Samuel MatherapproximateBulk freighter · lost 1891 · collision full reconstruction140 ft
Treat these as graves. Lives were lost on many Great Lakes wrecks, including 2 recorded here, and human remains may still be present. Michigan’s bottomlands also hold submerged cultural sites that long predate these ships. Look, photograph, and leave everything exactly as you found it.
Removing or disturbing wreckage on Great Lakes bottomlands is a felony under Michigan Part 761, 1994 PA 451, at a fair market value of $100 or more. Positions are historical reference only — not navigation, and not dive-planning data. Wreck records are published by the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council, which publishes a guide to the Whitefish preserve.
Whitefish Bay — common questions
How deep is Whitefish Bay?
The deepest contour on the NOAA NCEI bathymetric survey of Whitefish Bay is 470 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 Whitefish Bay?
Whitefish Bay covers about 351,378 acres in Chippewa County, Michigan.
What fish are in Whitefish Bay?
Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include atlantic salmon, burbot, coho salmon, lake whitefish, northern pike, pink salmon. The page lists all 9 species and the evidence behind each.
Is there public access to Whitefish Bay?
Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 5 public access sites on Whitefish Bay, including Ashmun Bay Park.
