Golden Lake
45.5739° N, 77.3361° W
Depth contours from the 1962 government survey. Not for navigation.
Download the depth map (SVG)Golden Lake, Ontario. 45.5739° N, 77.3361° W
Maximum depth 24.4 m (1962 survey). Scale bar on the map.
Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.
borealbound.ca/lakes/on/golden-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.
- Fishing access 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.
- 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).
- Guide to Eating Ontario Fish: Advisory Database, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
- Photographs, Wikimedia Commons contributors. Each photo carries its own licence (CC0, public domain, CC BY or CC BY-SA), credited where shown.
Golden Lake is 24.4 m deep at its deepest point, deeper than 70% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario. It covers 36.2 km² and lies 1.1 km northeast of Killaloe.
Government surveys have recorded 29 fish species here, including yellow perch, northern pike and smallmouth bass.
- Maximum depth
- 24.4 msurveyed 1962
- deeper than 70% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Area
- 36.2 km²
- larger than 98% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Shoreline
- 57.6 km
- longer than 96% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Water clarity
- 3.5 mSecchi depth, 2025
- clearer than 51% of the 1,251 monitored lakes in Ontario
- Fish species
- 29
- more than 99% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Elevation
- 167 m
Today on the water
7.1 °C
Observed at Barry's Bay, as of 2:00 a.m. EDT
choppy Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.5 m.
| Time | 3 a.m. | 6 a.m. | 9 a.m. | 12 p.m. | 3 p.m. | 6 p.m. | 9 p.m. | 12 a.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind km/h | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | NW 30 | NW 30 | NW 15 | var. 5 | var. 5 |
| Gusts | 50 | 50 | ||||||
| Waves (est.) m | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | ||||
| Temp. °C | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 2 |
| Precip. % | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
Tonight: Partly cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Risk of a thunderstorm early this evening. Wind west 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light this evening. Low plus 2.
Weather: Barry's Bay (local forecast), as of 2:02 a.m. EDT
Sun and moon
- Civil dawn
- 6:48 a.m.
- Sunrise
- 7:17 a.m.
- Sunset
- 6:34 p.m.
- Civil dusk
- 7:04 p.m.
- Moonrise
- 6:09 a.m.
- Moonset
- 5:52 p.m.
- Moon
- Waning crescent, 1% lit
Follow this lake by email: a weekly summary of conditions.
Depth
38% of Golden Lake is shallower than 3 m, and 40% 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 1962 records a maximum depth of 24.4 m, drawn from 44 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 80 government surveys (1982–2018) that recorded them.
Forage fish and other species (17)
Forage fish
- Rainbow Smelt 27
- Trout-Perch 19
- Spottail Shiner 8
- Golden Shiner 6
- Creek Chub 4
- Blacknose Dace 2
- Common Shiner 2
- Iowa Darter 2
- Logperch 2
- Blacknose Shiner 1
- Bluntnose Minnow 1
- Central Mudminnow 1
- Fallfish 1
- Longnose Dace 1
Other
- White Sucker 27
- Brown Bullhead 13
- Yellow Bullhead 1
Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.
Stocking
Walleye15,260 fish in 2 years, most recently 2025
All stocking records (2)
| Year | Species | Fish | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | 15,000 | Fingerlings |
| 2018 | Walleye | 260 | Adult |
Eating your catch
The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 13 species from Golden Lake. Maximum meals per month:
| Species | Length | General population | Sensitive population* | Contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Crappie | 20-25 cm | 16 | 16 | Precautionary |
| Lake Whitefish | 45-50 cm | 16 | 16 | PFAS |
| Largemouth Bass | 30-35 cm | 8 | 4 | Mercury |
| Muskellunge | >75 cm | 2 | Do not eat | Mercury |
| Northern Pike | 55-60 cm | 4 | 4 | PFAS |
| Pumpkinseed | 20-25 cm | 16 | 16 | PFAS |
| Smallmouth Bass | 35-40 cm | 4 | Do not eat | Mercury |
| Walleye | 40-45 cm | 8 | 4 | Mercury |
| Yellow Perch | 20-25 cm | 12 | 4 | Mercury |
| Brown Bullhead | 25-30 cm | 16 | 16 | Precautionary |
| Burbot (Ling) | 55-60 cm | 4 | 4 | PFAS |
| Rainbow Smelt | 15-20 cm | 4 | 4 | PFAS |
| White Sucker | 40-45 cm | 8 | 8 | PFAS |
* 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 15. Check seasons and limits before you fish.
Water
Clarity was measured with a Secchi disk in 7 years between 2008 and 2025; the latest annual mean is 3.5 m.
Getting on the water
1 listed boat launch. marks launches on the map.
- Boat launch
Photos
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Follow this lake
Every Friday by email: the Environment Canada forecast and any weather alerts in effect.