Sylvan Lake

Noble County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

29ft Max
depth

650 acres 5 contours Public access

Paddling Index49Modestsheltered geometry

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Depth scale

051015202529

The lake

Survey readout

Sylvan Lake is mapped to a depth of 29 ft on the Indiana DNR survey and covers about 650 acres in Noble County, Indiana. Depths come from the Indiana DNR survey of 2024.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 29 ft
Survey year: 2024
Surface area: 650 acres
Shoreline: 14.99 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 13% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Ramp · Indiana DNR site

Additional depth details5 contours

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

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Location

Noble County, Indiana · 15 nearest of 26 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

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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: 41.48855, -85.35402
IN DNR lake ID: 155642241
Vertical exaggeration: 2.69×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-10-08

49 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Sylvan Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, substantial 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	11.9 of 30	54% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (12% forest, 41% wetland; 31% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	15.8 of 25	mean fetch 987 m · 4% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	None identified	7.5 of 15	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 DNR fishing access site · boat ramp · ADA-accessible · fishing pier
Road isolation	Modest	1.6 of 15	substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 19 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 6,799 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 13% 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 41% 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

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

Common Carp

White Sucker

Hybrid Sunfish

About these fish → the Fish of Indiana guide

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Size and daily limits for the 14 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”)

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

Common CarpOpen to harvestMinimum size: no size limit · Daily limit: no limit (312 IAC 9-7-14(d) · “Carp”)

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.

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.

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

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 2020 and 2021

390Fish sampled

14Species

Gamefish Walleye 131 · Largemouth Bass 43

Panfish Bluegill 161 · Warmouth 17 · Yellow Perch 6

All survey species14 species

Gamefish

Walleye131 caught · to 24″

Largemouth Bass43 caught · to 17″

Panfish

Bluegill161 caught · to 8″

Warmouth17 caught · to 7″

Yellow Perch6 caught · to 12″

Black Crappie3 caught · to 10″

Hybrid Sunfish2 caught · to 8″

Redear Sunfish1 caught · to 8″

White Crappie1 caught · to 4″

Bullhead & catfish

Brown Bullhead7 caught · to 14″

Yellow Bullhead4 caught · to 12″

Forage & nongame

Common Carp6 caught · to 30″

Spotted Gar5 caught · to 26″

White Sucker3 caught · to 16″

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

Sylvan Lake — common questions

How deep is Sylvan Lake?

The deepest contour on the Indiana DNR bathymetric survey of Sylvan Lake is 29 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 Sylvan Lake?

Sylvan Lake covers about 650 acres in Noble County, Indiana.

What fish are in Sylvan Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish. The page lists all 14 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Sylvan Lake?

Yes. The Indiana DNR lists a public access site on Sylvan Lake: a boat ramp with a fishing pier, a boat dock, restrooms and ADA access. The DNR records no fee. DNR directions: "Off SR 9 in Rome City."

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