Big Barbee

Kosciusko County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

42ft Max
depth

315 acres 42 contours

Paddling Index43ModestMedium confidencesheltered geometry

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Depth scale

0191725334142

The lake

Survey readout

Big Barbee is mapped to a depth of 42 ft on the Indiana DNR survey and covers about 315 acres in Kosciusko County, Indiana.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 42 ft
Surface area: 315 acres
Shoreline: 6.09 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 3% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details42 contours

Contour depths: 0–42 ft
Recorded point soundings: 42 ft, 38 ft, 38 ft, 28 ft, 19 ft, 19 ft

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Location

Kosciusko County, Indiana · all 14 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: IN DNR Lake Bathymetry, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 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. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 41.28415, -85.70538
IN DNR lake ID: big-barbee
Vertical exaggeration: 2.25×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-21

43 / 100ModestData confidence: Medium

Big Barbee has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	11.5 of 35	51% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (12% forest, 36% wetland; 40% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	17.4 of 29	mean fetch 1,084 m · 3% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	None identified	8.8 of 18	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public access	Not listed	—	No DNR-listed access site. Township, county and road-end launches are not in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Mixed	5.3 of 18	nearby higher-volume roads · 5 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 8,359 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 3% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: Moderate — 12% forest and 36% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Indiana lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public environmental, access, roadway and watercraft-control data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights: natural setting 30%, geometric wind exposure 25%, watercraft controls 15%, public access 15%, road isolation 15%; observed motorboat activity is weighted 0% because no defensible lake-level measurement exists. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Sources: USGS NHD waterbody outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), IN DNR Fishing Access Sites (motor restrictions) (2026-08) and INDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2021). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

1 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

Largemouth Bass

About these fish → the Fish of Indiana guide

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 1 species found here — 1 open to harvest.

These are hook-and-line size and daily limit rules. The fishing code sets no closed season for these species on inland lakes, but posted property rules can close a water — see the notes. Gear, spearing and bow fishing, netting and bait collection are set by other sections of 312 IAC 9 and are not shown here.

Largemouth BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: 14" · Daily limit: 5 (312 IAC 9-7-6(a), (c)(3)) The 5 is black bass in aggregate — any combination of largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass — not 5 of each.

Beta. This panel is newly published. Every value is transcribed from the Indiana Administrative Code (312 IAC 9-7) and checked against the Indiana DNR's 2026-27 Fishing Regulations Guide, but the coverage and wording are still under review. If anything here disagrees with 312 IAC 9-7 or the Indiana DNR's guide, the DNR is right — the Administrative Code is the legal text; the guide summarizes it.

No closed season in the fishing code: 312 IAC 9-7 sets no season for these species on inland lakes (trout and salmon “at any time of year”, 9-7-13(d)(1)). Posted property rules can still close a water or bar entry (312 IAC 8-2-1) and 312 IAC 9-6-6 closes a few named areas, so check the property before you go. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit (312 IAC 9-1-12.1); fish already processed and stored at your primary residence do not count toward it (312 IAC 9-2-8(d)).

From 312 IAC 9-7 (Sport fishing), Indiana Administrative Code (readopted 2025-03-25), and the 2026-2027 Indiana Fishing Regulations Guide · verified 2026-09-15. Regulations can change — the Indiana Administrative Code (312 IAC 9-7) is the controlling source; verify current regulations before fishing. Official regulations

Compiled from Indiana DNR fishery surveys. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Fishery

surveyed 2015

482Fish sampled

1Species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass482 caught · to 17″

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Indiana DNR fish survey (Indiana Data Hub) (counts summed across survey years).

Non-native species records

3 records

Mussels & snails

Zebra Mussel

Plants & algae

Eurasian Watermilfoil

Fish

Redear Sunfish

How to identify invasive species in Indiana lakes →

What does non-native mean?

USGS records identify non-native species that have been documented for this lake or its shoreline. Non-native does not necessarily mean invasive, and historical records do not confirm current presence.

Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying nonindigenous species records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

Quick answers

Big Barbee — common questions

How deep is Big Barbee?

The deepest contour on the Indiana DNR bathymetric survey of Big Barbee is 42 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 Big Barbee?

Big Barbee covers about 315 acres in Kosciusko County, Indiana.

What fish are in Big Barbee?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Big Barbee?

No public launch for Big Barbee is shown in the Indiana DNR's public access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- municipal and private ramps are not in that source.

More lakes in Kosciusko County