McCarthy Lake
46.3234° N, 82.4518° W
Depth contours from the government survey. Not for navigation.
Download the depth map (SVG)McCarthy Lake, Ontario. 46.3234° N, 82.4518° W
Maximum depth 28 m. Scale bar on the map.
Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.
borealbound.ca/lakes/on/mccarthy-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.
- 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.
McCarthy Lake is 28 m deep at its deepest point, deeper than 77% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario. It covers 7.37 km² and lies 6.7 km southeast of Nordic Townsite.
Government surveys have recorded 12 fish species here, including northern pike, pumpkinseed and rock bass.
- Maximum depth
- 28 m
- deeper than 77% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Area
- 7.37 km²
- larger than 94% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Shoreline
- 51.8 km
- longer than 96% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Water clarity
- 3.5 mSecchi depth, 2019
- clearer than 51% of the 1,251 monitored lakes in Ontario
- Fish species
- 12
- more than 81% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Elevation
- 248 m
Today on the water
10 °C
Observed at Elliot Lake, as of 4:00 a.m. EDT
choppy Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.2 m. Around 8 a.m., wind from the northwest: the northwest shore is sheltered, waves build toward the southeast shore.
| Time | 5 a.m. | 8 a.m. | 11 a.m. | 2 p.m. | 5 p.m. | 8 p.m. | 11 p.m. | 2 a.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind km/h | NW 10 | NW 20 | NW 20 | NW 10 | var. 5 | var. 5 | E 10 | E 10 |
| Gusts km/h | 40 | 40 | ||||||
| Waves (est.) m | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | ||||
| Temp. °C | 6 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| Precip. % | 30 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tonight: Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Risk of a thunderstorm after midnight. Low plus 5.
Weather: Elliot Lake (local forecast), as of 4:01 a.m. EDT
Sun and moon
- Civil dawn
- 7:08 a.m.
- Sunrise
- 7:39 a.m.
- Sunset
- 6:54 p.m.
- Civil dusk
- 7:24 p.m.
- Moonrise
- 6:31 a.m.
- Moonset
- 6:12 p.m.
- Moon
- Waning crescent, 1% lit
Follow this lake by email: a weekly summary of conditions.
Depth
37% of McCarthy Lake 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 records a maximum depth of 28 m, drawn from 50 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 4 government surveys (2012–2019) that recorded them.
Forage fish and other species (8)
Forage fish
- Brook Stickleback 3
- Creek Chub 2
- Blacknose Shiner 1
- Central Mudminnow 1
- Common Shiner 1
- Finescale Dace 1
Other
- Brown Bullhead 1
- White Sucker 1
Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.
Eating your catch
The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 4 species from McCarthy Lake. Maximum meals per month:
| Species | Length | General population | Sensitive population* | Contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Trout | 50-55 cm | 8 | 4 | Mercury |
| Lake Whitefish | 45-50 cm | 16 | 16 | Precautionary |
| Northern Pike | 55-60 cm | 4 | Do not eat | Mercury |
| Walleye | 40-45 cm | 8 | 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 10. Check seasons and limits before you fish.
Water
Clarity was measured with a Secchi disk in 2 years between 2017 and 2019; the latest annual mean is 3.5 m.
Getting on the water
2 listed boat launches; 2 with parking listed. marks launches on the map.
North shore
- McCarthy Lake Boat Launch
West end
- McCarthy Lake Boat Launch
Follow this lake
Every Friday by email: the Environment Canada forecast and any weather alerts in effect.