Chesley Lake
44.5529° N, 81.2241° W
Depth contours from the 1968 government survey. Not for navigation.
Download the depth map (SVG)Chesley Lake, Ontario. 44.5529° N, 81.2241° W
Maximum depth 16.8 m (1968 survey). Scale bar on the map.
Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.
borealbound.ca/lakes/on/chesley-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.
- Fish stocking for recreational purposes, 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.
- Lake Partner Program, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. 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).
- Air Quality Health Index observations and forecasts, 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.
Chesley Lake is 16.8 m deep at its deepest point, deeper than 52% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario. It covers 2.08 km² and lies 1.5 km south of Skipness.
Government surveys have recorded 19 fish species here, including yellow perch, pumpkinseed and smallmouth bass.
- Maximum depth
- 16.8 msurveyed 1968
- deeper than 52% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Area
- 2.08 km²
- larger than 81% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Shoreline
- 8.5 km
- longer than 69% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Water clarity
- 3.4 mSecchi depth, 2025
- less clear than 53% of the 1,251 monitored lakes in Ontario
- Fish species
- 19
- more than 95% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Elevation
- 224 m
Today on the water
9 °C
Observed at Port Elgin, as of 3:00 a.m. EDT
choppy Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.2 m. Around 9 a.m., wind from the northwest: the northwest shore is sheltered, waves build toward the southeast shore.
| Time | 4 a.m. | 7 a.m. | 10 a.m. | 1 p.m. | 4 p.m. | 7 p.m. | 10 p.m. | 1 a.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind km/h | W 15 | W 15 | NW 20 | NW 30 | NW 30 | NE 10 | E 10 | SE 10 |
| Gusts km/h | 50 | 50 | ||||||
| Waves (est.) m | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | ||||
| Temp. °C | 4 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 6 |
| Precip. % | 40 | 40 | 40 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tonight: Partly cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light this evening. Low plus 4.
Weather: Port Elgin (local forecast), as of 3:01 a.m. EDT
Sun and moon
- Civil dawn
- 7:03 a.m.
- Sunrise
- 7:32 a.m.
- Sunset
- 6:50 p.m.
- Civil dusk
- 7:19 p.m.
- Moonrise
- 6:25 a.m.
- Moonset
- 6:09 p.m.
- Moon
- Waning crescent, 1% lit
Air Quality Health Index
2 low risk
Tiverton, as of 2:00 a.m. EDT
Follow this lake by email: a weekly summary of conditions.
Depth
59% of Chesley Lake is shallower than 3 m, and 6% is deeper than 10 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 from 1968 records a maximum depth of 16.8 m, drawn from 15 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 43 government surveys (1977–2014) that recorded them.
Forage fish and other species (11)
Forage fish
- Golden Shiner 12
- Bluntnose Minnow 8
- Spottail Shiner 4
- Banded Killifish 2
- Blackchin Shiner 1
- Blacknose Shiner 1
- Central Mudminnow 1
- Common Shiner 1
- Iowa Darter 1
Other
- Brown Bullhead 7
- White Sucker 5
Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.
Stocking
Walleye687,508 fish in 6 years, most recently 2025
All stocking records (8)
| Year | Species | Fish | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | 4,985 | Fingerlings |
| 2025 | Walleye | 119,780 | Fry |
| 2024 | Walleye | 264,135 | Fry |
| 2024 | Walleye | 5,959 | Fingerlings |
| 2023 | Walleye | 280,120 | Fry |
| 2019 | Walleye | 7,672 | Fry |
| 2018 | Walleye | 118 | Adult |
| 2017 | Walleye | 4,739 | Fingerlings |
Eating your catch
The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 5 species from Chesley Lake. Maximum meals per month:
| Species | Length | General population | Sensitive population* | Contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 25-30 cm | 16 | 8 | Mercury |
| Northern Pike | 55-60 cm | 12 | 4 | Mercury |
| Smallmouth Bass | 35-40 cm | 8 | 4 | Mercury |
| Walleye | 40-45 cm | 16 | 4 | Mercury |
| Brown Bullhead | 25-30 cm | 16 | 16 | Precautionary |
* 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 16. Check seasons and limits before you fish.
Water
Clarity was measured with a Secchi disk in 9 years between 1994 and 2025; the latest annual mean is 3.4 m.
Follow this lake
Every Friday by email: the Environment Canada forecast and any weather alerts in effect.