Indiana Lake Depths
NESW

Royer Lake

LaGrange County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey
57ft Max
depth
73 acres 5 contours Public access
Paddling Index66Mixedaway from major roads · sheltered geometry · speed limit
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Royer Lake has a reported maximum depth of 57 ft, and covers about 73 acres in LaGrange County, Indiana. The Indiana DNR survey maps contours down to 50 ft; the depth between 50 ft and 57 ft is interpolated rather than measured. Depths come from the Indiana DNR survey of 2019.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Depth below 50 ft is interpolated. The survey's own contours stop at 50 ft, while it reports a maximum of 57 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
50 ft
Survey year
2019
Surface area
73 acres
Shoreline
2.28 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
7% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
By water from another ramp · Indiana DNR: “boat ramp on Fish Lake”
Additional depth details5 contours
Contour depths
0–57 ft
Recorded point soundings
50 ft
Compare with another 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
41.61172, -85.33768
IN DNR lake ID
155640865
Vertical exaggeration
1.74×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.1 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-21
66 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Royer Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, well sheltered geometry, little nearby major-road exposure. Watercraft controls: Speed limit.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingMixed10.2 of 3043% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (1% forest, 42% wetland; 27% developed)
Geometric wind exposureExcellent21.7 of 25mean fetch 598 m · 33% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controlsSpeed limit9.0 of 15Speed limit
Public accessGood12.8 of 151 DNR fishing access site · DNR directs boaters to a ramp on connected water
Road isolationExcellent12.4 of 15relatively isolated from major roads · 1 INDOT-classified segment within 1.2 km, peak 425 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
Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
Aquatic vegetation
Low — approximately 7% 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 — 1% forest and 42% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
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

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

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 16 species found here — 12 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”)
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)).
Channel CatfishOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: 10 (312 IAC 9-7-3(b), (d)) The 10 is catfish in aggregate of any size from a lake or reservoir. Of those, not more than one channel catfish 28 inches or longer, one blue catfish 35 inches or longer and one flathead catfish 35 inches or longer per day.
Chestnut LampreyRule 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.
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)).
Green SunfishRule 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.
Hybrid SunfishRule 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.
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.
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”)
WalleyeOpen to harvestMinimum size: 16" · Daily limit: 6 (312 IAC 9-7-12(b) · north of State Road 26) Walleye minimum here is 16 inches because the lake lies north of State Road 26. The 6 is in any combination of walleye, sauger and saugeye.
White SuckerOpen 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.
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.

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 2019
798Fish sampled
16Species

Gamefish Channel Catfish 19 · Largemouth Bass 16 · Walleye 13 · Bowfin 3

Panfish Bluegill 401 · Pumpkinseed 22 · Redear Sunfish 11

All survey species16 species

Gamefish

Channel Catfish19 caught · to 20″
Largemouth Bass16 caught · to 19″
Walleye13 caught · to 8″
Bowfin3 caught · to 25″

Panfish

Bluegill401 caught · to 7″
Pumpkinseed22 caught · to 6″
Redear Sunfish11 caught · to 7″
Black Crappie7 caught · to 9″
Hybrid Sunfish6 caught · to 7″
Green Sunfish3 caught · to 5″
Yellow Perch2 caught · to 6″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead2 caught · to 12″

Forage & nongame

Gizzard Shad190 caught · to 10″
White Sucker91 caught · to 18″
Spotted Gar11 caught · to 32″
Chestnut Lamprey1 caught · to 9″
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

1 record

Plants & algae

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

Royer Lake — common questions

How deep is Royer Lake?

The Indiana DNR reports a maximum depth of 57 ft for Royer Lake. The survey's own contours reach 50 ft, so the depth below that is interpolated from the reported maximum rather than mapped.

How big is Royer Lake?

Royer Lake covers about 73 acres in LaGrange County, Indiana.

What fish are in Royer Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin. The page lists all 16 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Royer Lake?

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

Is the depth of Royer Lake measured or estimated?

The survey contours reach 50 ft while the survey reports a maximum of 57 ft, so the basin between those depths is inferred by the model rather than measured.