Big Sandy Lake
49.8236° N, 92.363° W
Depth contours from the government survey. Not for navigation.
Download the depth map (SVG)Big Sandy Lake, Ontario. 49.8236° N, 92.363° W
Maximum depth 40 m. Scale bar on the map.
Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.
borealbound.ca/lakes/on/big-sandy-lake/, compiled October 9, 2026
- Canadian Geographical Names Database, Natural Resources Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
- HydroLAKES v1.0, Messager et al. 2016 / WWF HydroSHEDS. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Census boundaries and population, 2021, Statistics Canada. Adapted from Statistics Canada. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada.
- Aquatic Resource Area survey points, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
- Fisheries Management Zones, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
- Bathymetry lines and survey index, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
- City page weather forecasts and alerts, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Contains data from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC Data Servers End-use Licence).
- Guide to Eating Ontario Fish: Advisory Database, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Big Sandy Lake is 40 m deep at its deepest point, deeper than 89% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario. It covers 38.3 km² and lies 12 km northeast of Dinorwic.
Government surveys have recorded 19 fish species here, including northern pike, yellow perch and lake whitefish.
- Maximum depth
- 40 m
- deeper than 89% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Area
- 38.3 km²
- larger than 98% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Shoreline
- 53.2 km
- longer than 96% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Fish species
- 19
- more than 96% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Elevation
- 365 m
Today on the water
4 °C
Observed at Dryden, as of 5:00 a.m. CDT
choppy Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.3 m. Around 10 a.m., wind from the south: the south shore is sheltered, waves build toward the north shore.
| Time | 6 a.m. | 9 a.m. | 12 p.m. | 3 p.m. | 6 p.m. | 9 p.m. | 12 a.m. | 3 a.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind km/h | S 10 | S 10 | S 15 | E 10 | SE 20 | SE 20 | SE 20 | SE 20 |
| Gusts km/h | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | ||||
| Waves (est.) m | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | ||||
| Temp. °C | 4 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 |
| Precip. % | 20 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Today: A mix of sun and cloud. Becoming cloudy near noon with 40 percent chance of rain this afternoon. Wind becoming southeast 20 km/h gusting to 40 late this afternoon. High 15. UV index 2 or low.
Weather: Dryden (local forecast), as of 5:00 a.m. CDT
Sun and moon
- Civil dawn
- 6:49 a.m.
- Sunrise
- 7:21 a.m.
- Sunset
- 6:30 p.m.
- Civil dusk
- 7:02 p.m.
- Moonrise
- 6:14 a.m.
- Moonset
- 5:49 p.m.
- Moon
- Waning crescent, 1% lit
Depth
47% of Big Sandy Lake is deeper than 20 m.
How to read it: the lake’s area is sorted from the shore to the deepest point. Where the curve is flat, large areas share one depth (flats and weed beds); where it drops, depth changes quickly (drop-offs).
The government depth survey records a maximum depth of 40 m, drawn from 106 depth contours.
- Download the depth map (SVG)Printing this page gives the map on one sheet, with scale and sources.
Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.
Fish
Sport fish by the share of the 45 government surveys (2009–2009) that recorded them.
Forage fish and other species (9)
Forage fish
- Rainbow Smelt 17
- Trout-Perch 15
- Spottail Shiner 13
- Ninespine Stickleback 6
- Common Shiner 2
- Lake Chub 2
- Blacknose Shiner 1
- Northern Redbelly Dace 1
Other
- White Sucker 31
Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.
Eating your catch
The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 7 species from Big Sandy Lake. Maximum meals per month:
| Species | Length | General population | Sensitive population* | Contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Trout | 55-60 cm | 16 | 8 | Mercury |
| Lake Whitefish | 45-50 cm | 16 | 12 | PCB |
| Northern Pike | 55-60 cm | 16 | 8 | Mercury |
| Smallmouth Bass | 35-40 cm | 16 | 4 | Mercury |
| Walleye | 50-55 cm | 16 | 4 | Mercury |
| Burbot (Ling) | 50-55 cm | 16 | 4 | Mercury |
| White Sucker | 40-45 cm | 16 | 4 | Mercury |
* As defined in the guide, including children and people who are or may become pregnant. Limits are for the length the guide lists most often; they change with the size of the fish. Read the official guide
Fishing regulations: Fisheries Management Zone 4. Check seasons and limits before you fish.