Little Chapman Lake

Kosciusko County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

29ft Max
depth

141 acres 5 contours Public access

Paddling Index50Modestspeed limit · sheltered geometry

Get directions

Depth scale

051015202529

The lake

Survey readout

Little Chapman Lake has a reported maximum depth of 29 ft, and covers about 141 acres in Kosciusko County, Indiana. The Indiana DNR survey maps contours down to 25 ft; the depth between 25 ft and 29 ft is interpolated rather than measured. Coverage is sparse: about 78% 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. Depths come from the Indiana DNR survey of 2018.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Depth below 25 ft is interpolated. The survey's own contours stop at 25 ft, while it reports a maximum of 29 ft. The basin between those two depths is inferred by the model, not measured — so the shape of the deep hole is an estimate, and the deep-spot marker shows the deepest depth actually surveyed.

Deepest mapped contour: 29 ft
Survey year: 2018
Surface area: 141 acres
Shoreline: 3.48 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 9% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: By water from another ramp · Indiana DNR: “Use Big Chapman Ramp”

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–29 ft
Recorded point soundings: 25 ft

Compare with another lake

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).

⚠ Not for navigation

Spot an error? Send a correction

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: 41.27253, -85.79088
IN DNR lake ID: 155351486
Vertical exaggeration: 2.69×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.1 MB

Paddling

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

50 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Little Chapman Lake has a substantially developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Speed limit.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Modest	5.0 of 30	36% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (6% forest, 26% wetland; 40% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	18.1 of 25	mean fetch 784 m · 4% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	Speed limit	9.0 of 15	Speed limit
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 DNR fishing access site · DNR directs boaters to a ramp on connected water
Road isolation	Mixed	5.4 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 23 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,925 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 9% 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: Limited — 6% forest and 26% 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), IN DNR Fishing Access Sites (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

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

Gizzard Shad

White Bass

Lake Chubsucker

Brook Silverside

Bluntnose Minnow

About these fish → the Fish of Indiana guide

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 18 species found here — 15 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.

Black CrappieOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (312 IAC 9-7-14(a)) Black and white crappie together.

BluegillOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Bluegill”)

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)).

Black CrappieOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (312 IAC 9-7-14(a)) Black and white crappie together.

BluegillOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Bluegill”)

Bluntnose MinnowOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: none stated (312 IAC 9-7-15) A minnow under the code’s definition (312 IAC 9-6-1). Minnows may be taken at any time of year by minnow trap, dip net, seine, cast net or lawful sport-fishing methods; the section states no bag or size limit, caps transport out of Indiana at 100 minnows in any 24-hour period (licensed bait dealers, scientific-purposes licensees and those commercially raising minnows in private waters for sale excepted), and requires a bait dealer’s license to sell (312 IAC 9-7-15).

BowfinOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Bowfin”) Roe must stay intact inside the fish while on or beside the water and until processing begins; once removed, roe may not be screened, washed, processed, preserved, stored, kept, given away, sold or transported without a roe harvester's license (312 IAC 9-7-14(f), (g)).

Brook SilversideRule not confidently resolvedNot named in 312 IAC 9-7 or in the DNR guide's limits table. Please check with the Indiana DNR (317-232-4200) before keeping this species.

Brown BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Bullhead”)

Gizzard ShadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Gizzard shad”) No limit on harvest, but live shad may not be kept: live gizzard or threadfin shad may be possessed or used as bait only on eight named waters (Brookville, Cecil M. Harden, Monroe and Patoka reservoirs, Lakes Freeman and Shafer, Hardy Lake, the Ohio River main stem excluding its embayments), and only where collected. Everywhere else shad must be killed immediately (312 IAC 9-6-8(b)–(d)).

Lake ChubsuckerOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Sucker”) Greater redhorse is endangered in Indiana (312 IAC 9-6-9) and may not be taken — identify redhorse carefully.

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.

Northern PikeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 24" · Daily limit: 3 (312 IAC 9-7-5(a), (b)) No more than one of the three may be over 30 inches.

PumpkinseedRule not confidently resolvedNot named in 312 IAC 9-7 or in the DNR guide's limits table. Please check with the Indiana DNR (317-232-4200) before keeping this species.

Redear SunfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (312 IAC 9-7-14(c))

Spotted GarOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Gar”)

WarmouthRule not confidently resolvedNot named in 312 IAC 9-7 or in the DNR guide's limits table. Please check with the Indiana DNR (317-232-4200) before keeping this species.

White BassOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 12 (312 IAC 9-7-7) 12 in any combination of white bass and hybrid striped bass, of which not more than two may exceed 17 inches.

White CrappieOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 25 (312 IAC 9-7-14(a)) Black and white crappie together.

Yellow BullheadOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Bullhead”)

Yellow PerchOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (IN DNR 2026-27 guide, statewide table · 312 IAC 9-7-18 (Lake Michigan only)) The code limits yellow perch only on Lake Michigan (15); the DNR's statewide table prints inland perch as unlimited.

Official rule text for this lake

“An individual may take minnows at any time during the year.” — 312 IAC 9-7-15(a), Indiana Administrative Code

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 2018

1,025Fish sampled

18Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 264 · Northern Pike 12 · Bowfin 2

Panfish Bluegill 629 · Black Crappie 34 · Yellow Perch 15

All survey species18 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass264 caught · to 19″

Northern Pike12 caught · to 31″

Bowfin2 caught · to 21″

Panfish

Bluegill629 caught · to 8″

Black Crappie34 caught · to 8″

Yellow Perch15 caught · to 7″

Warmouth9 caught · to 8″

Redear Sunfish7 caught · to 8″

White Crappie6 caught · to 13″

Pumpkinseed1 caught · to 5″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead13 caught · to 13″

Brown Bullhead7 caught · to 14″

Forage & nongame

Gizzard Shad16 caught · to 15″

Brook Silverside3 caught · to 4″

Spotted Gar3 caught · to 24″

Lake Chubsucker2 caught · to 8″

Bluntnose Minnow1 caught · to 2″

White Bass1 caught · to 15″

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).

Quick answers

Little Chapman Lake — common questions

How deep is Little Chapman Lake?

The Indiana DNR reports a maximum depth of 29 ft for Little Chapman Lake. The survey's own contours reach 25 ft, so the depth below that is interpolated from the reported maximum rather than mapped.

How big is Little Chapman Lake?

Little Chapman Lake covers about 141 acres in Kosciusko County, Indiana.

What fish are in Little Chapman Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin, brown bullhead. The page lists all 18 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Little Chapman Lake?

The Indiana DNR lists Little Chapman Lake as open to the public by water rather than from a ramp of its own: its access record reads "Little Chapman Lake (Use Big Chapman Ramp)". The launch is on connected water, not on Little Chapman Lake itself.

Is the depth of Little Chapman Lake measured or estimated?

The survey contours reach 25 ft while the survey reports a maximum of 29 ft, so the basin between those depths is inferred by the model rather than measured.

More lakes in Kosciusko County