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Map of Lake Simcoe with depth contours

Lake Simcoe

44.4236° N, 79.3712° W

Depth contours from the 1957 government survey. Not for navigation.

Download the depth map (SVG)

Lake Simcoe, Ontario. 44.4236° N, 79.3712° W

Maximum depth 41 m (1957 survey). Scale bar on the map.

Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.

borealbound.ca/lakes/on/lake-simcoe/, 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.
  • Real-time hydrometric data, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Contains data from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC Data Servers End-use Licence).
  • National Water Data Archive (HYDAT) daily means, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Contains data from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC Data Servers End-use Licence).
  • 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.
  • Photographs, Wikimedia Commons contributors. Each photo carries its own licence (CC0, public domain, CC BY or CC BY-SA), credited where shown.
  • Ontario Waterbody Location Identifier, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.

Lake Simcoe is 41 m deep at its deepest point, deeper than 89% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario. It covers 752 km² and lies beside Barrie.

Government surveys have recorded 60 fish species here, including yellow perch, smallmouth bass and pumpkinseed.

Maximum depth
41 msurveyed 1957
deeper than 89% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario
Area
752 km²
larger than 99% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
Shoreline
280 km
longer than 99% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
Water clarity
6.8 mSecchi depth, 2009
clearer than 95% of the 1,251 monitored lakes in Ontario
Fish species
60
more than 99% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
Elevation
216 m

Today on the water

6.9 °C

Wind WSW 3 km/h, gusts 32

Observed at Orillia, as of 1:00 a.m. EDT

rough Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.9 m.

Time2 a.m.5 a.m.8 a.m.11 a.m.2 p.m.5 p.m.8 p.m.11 p.m.
Wind km/hW 15W 15W 15NW 20NW 30NW 30NW 15var. 5
Gusts5050
Waves (est.) m0.40.40.40.60.9
Temp. °C546101415107
Precip. %40404040202000

Tonight: Partly cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Risk of a thunderstorm early this evening. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light this evening. Low plus 4.

Weather: Orillia (local forecast), as of 1:04 a.m. EDT

Sun and moon

Civil dawn
6:56 a.m.
Sunrise
7:25 a.m.
Sunset
6:43 p.m.
Civil dusk
7:12 p.m.
Moonrise
6:17 a.m.
Moonset
6:02 p.m.
Moon
Waning crescent, 1% lit

Air Quality Health Index

1 low risk

Barrie, as of 1:00 a.m. EDT

Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada. Local times.

How waves are estimated

Significant wave height from the forecast hourly wind and the open-water distance (fetch) upwind, using the SMB method (US Army Corps of Engineers Shore Protection Manual, 1984), rounded up to the next 0.1 m. It is not a measurement: gusts, leftover swell and shoals can make water rougher. Under 0.2 m: calm; 0.2–0.5 m: choppy; over 0.5 m: rough.

Depth

35% of Lake Simcoe 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 from 1957 records a maximum depth of 41 m, drawn from 2,100 depth contours.

Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.

Fish

Sport fish by the share of the 474 government surveys (1973–2022) that recorded them.

  • Yellow Perch291 of 474
  • Smallmouth Bass202 of 474
  • Pumpkinseed143 of 474
  • Rock Bass114 of 474
  • Largemouth Bass87 of 474
  • Lake WhitefishStocked67 of 474Not recorded since 2011
  • Northern Pike52 of 474
  • Lake Trout41 of 474Not recorded since 2011
  • Walleye35 of 474Not recorded since 2003
  • Brook Trout15 of 474
  • Black Crappie13 of 474
  • Bluegill9 of 474
  • Cisco3 of 474Not recorded since 1979
  • Brown Trout1 of 474Not recorded since 1994
  • Channel Catfish1 of 474Not recorded since 1979
  • Muskellunge1 of 474
  • Rainbow Trout1 of 474Not recorded since 1994
  • White Crappie1 of 474Not recorded since 2011
Forage fish and other species (42)

Forage fish

  • Bluntnose Minnow 174
  • Spottail Shiner 152
  • Logperch 143
  • Emerald Shiner 124
  • Sand Shiner 96
  • Iowa Darter 90
  • Brook Stickleback 55
  • Banded Killifish 53
  • Johnny Darter 47
  • Creek Chub 45
  • Rainbow Smelt 45
  • Longnose Dace 41
  • Mottled Sculpin 41
  • Blacknose Dace 40
  • Golden Shiner 38
  • Common Shiner 35
  • Fathead Minnow 35
  • Trout-Perch 30
  • Central Mudminnow 25
  • Spotfin Shiner 23
  • Spoonhead Sculpin 19
  • Northern Redbelly Dace 17
  • Blacknose Shiner 13
  • River Chub 10
  • Mimic Shiner 9
  • Blackchin Shiner 7
  • Rainbow Darter 7
  • Brassy Minnow 6
  • Hornyhead Chub 6
  • Northern Pearl Dace 3
  • Slimy Sculpin 3
  • Blackside Darter 1
  • Central Stoneroller 1
  • Finescale Dace 1
  • Least Darter 1
  • Ninespine Stickleback 1

Other

  • White Sucker 179
  • Brown Bullhead 72
  • Common Carp 11
  • Bowfin 5
  • Black Bullhead 3
  • Round Goby 3

Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.

Stocking

Lake Whitefish1.4 million fish in 10 years, most recently 2025

All stocking records (13)
YearSpeciesFishStage
2025Lake Whitefish144,381Fingerlings
2024Lake Whitefish141,020Fingerlings
2023Lake Whitefish123,182Fingerlings
2022Lake Whitefish143,858Fingerlings
2021Lake Whitefish2,187Yearlings
2021Lake Whitefish143,529Fingerlings
2020Lake Whitefish149,184Fingerlings
2019Lake Whitefish140,981Fingerlings
2018Lake Whitefish144,376Fingerlings
2017Lake Whitefish106,310Fingerlings
2016Lake Whitefish122Yearlings
2016Lake Whitefish140,694Fingerlings
2016Lake Whitefish92Adult

Eating your catch

The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 18 species from Lake Simcoe. Maximum meals per month:

SpeciesLengthGeneral populationSensitive population*Contaminant
Black Crappie20-25 cm2Do not eatPFAS
Bluegill15-20 cm88PFAS
Lake Trout50-55 cm88PCB
Lake Whitefish45-50 cm1212PFAS
Largemouth Bass30-35 cm84PFAS
Northern Pike55-60 cm1212PFAS
Pumpkinseed15-20 cm3216–
Rock Bass15-20 cm44PFAS
Smallmouth Bass35-40 cm44PFAS
Walleye40-45 cm88PFAS
Yellow Perch20-25 cm1612PFAS
Bowfin50-55 cm168Mercury
Brown Bullhead25-30 cm3216–
Burbot (Ling)50-55 cm88PFAS
Cisco (Lake Herring)30-35 cm44PFAS
Common Carp55-60 cm88PFAS
Rainbow Smelt15-20 cm44PFAS
White Sucker40-45 cm1616PFAS

* 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 13 years between 1997 and 2009; the latest annual mean is 6.8 m.

Water clarity (Secchi depth, m)
Total phosphorus (µg/L)

Getting on the water

86 listed access points, 84 of them boat launches; 48 with parking listed. marks launches on the map.

North shore

6 more on the north shore

Northeast shore

6 more on the northeast shore

East shore

Southeast shore

1 more on the southeast shore

South shore

6 more on the south shore

Southwest shore

31 more on the southwest shore

West shore

Northwest shore

Photos

A Tree - Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada - Ca. February 1987
Photo: Giorgio Galeotti, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Fox Island, Lake Simcoe
Photo: Magnolia677, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Jacksons Point, Lake Simcoe - panoramio
Photo: Vlad P, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons