Every Lake
Arkabutla Lake
Coldwater River behind a 1943 Army Corps dam, ten miles south of Southaven
- 12 ft · first step
- 25 ft
- 37 ft
- 50 ft
- 62 ft
- 74 ft · bottom
About Arkabutla Lake
Arkabutla Lake sits on the Coldwater River in DeSoto and Tate counties, Mississippi, a few miles south of Southaven and Hernando. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the dam in the early 1940s as part of the Yazoo Basin flood control system, one of four reservoirs constructed in north Mississippi after the catastrophic 1927 flood to hold back water before it reaches the Delta. The lake backs up behind an earthen dam and drains through a concrete spillway into the Coldwater, which eventually joins the Yazoo River.
Pool levels swing by design, rising in winter and spring to catch runoff and dropping through summer and fall, which leaves a wide band of exposed flats around much of the shoreline. Crappie fishing draws the heaviest local traffic, along with catfish and bass, and the surrounding bottomland is managed for duck hunting in season. The open, shallow, wind-exposed water has also made it a regional spot for windsurfing and kiteboarding, uncommon uses for a Corps flood-control lake. Coldwater, Hernando, and Como are the nearest towns.
- 8 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 192 roads engraved around the shore, 12 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Arkabutla Lake depth chart, in wood
This is a Arkabutla Lake depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 12 ft, 25 ft, 37 ft, 50 ft, 62 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 74 ft. The lake covers about 15.8 square miles, and 192 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Arkabutla Lake map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Arkabutla Lake for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Arkabutla Lake.
Arkabutla Lake map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Arkabutla Lake; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Arkabutla Lake is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 74 ft
- 15.8 square miles of water
- 192 shore roads engraved, 12 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
