McKay Lake
49.6133° N, 86.4381° W
Depth contours from the 1961 government survey. Not for navigation.
Download the depth map (SVG)McKay Lake, Ontario. 49.6133° N, 86.4381° W
Maximum depth 54.9 m (1961 survey). Scale bar on the map.
Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.
borealbound.ca/lakes/on/mckay-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.
McKay Lake is 54.9 m deep at its deepest point, deeper than 95% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario. It covers 31.6 km² and lies 9.2 km southeast of Theresa.
Government surveys have recorded 11 fish species here, including walleye, cisco and lake whitefish.
- Maximum depth
- 54.9 msurveyed 1961
- deeper than 95% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Area
- 31.6 km²
- larger than 98% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Shoreline
- 130 km
- longer than 98% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Fish species
- 11
- more than 77% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Elevation
- 319 m
Today on the water
3.6 °C
Observed at Greenstone (Geraldton), as of 3:00 a.m. EDT
choppy Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.3 m. Around 11 a.m., wind from the west: the west shore is sheltered, waves build toward the east 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 | NW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 20 | W 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SE 10 |
| Waves (est.) m | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Temp. °C | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Precip. % | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Tonight: Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low zero.
Weather: Greenstone (Geraldton) (local forecast), as of 3:02 a.m. EDT
Sun and moon
- Civil dawn
- 7:25 a.m.
- Sunrise
- 7:58 a.m.
- Sunset
- 7:07 p.m.
- Civil dusk
- 7:39 p.m.
- Moonrise
- 6:49 a.m.
- Moonset
- 6:25 p.m.
- Moon
- Waning crescent, 1% lit
Follow this lake by email: a weekly summary of conditions.
Depth
31% of McKay Lake is shallower than 3 m, and 10% is deeper than 30 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 1961 records a maximum depth of 54.9 m, drawn from 125 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 30 government surveys (2012–2012) that recorded them.
Forage fish and other species (4)
Forage fish
- Trout-Perch 12
- Spottail Shiner 8
- Emerald Shiner 2
Other
- White Sucker 12
Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.
Eating your catch
The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 5 species from McKay Lake. Maximum meals per month:
| Species | Length | General population | Sensitive population* | Contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Trout | 50-55 cm | 16 | 4 | Mercury, PCB |
| Lake Whitefish | 45-50 cm | 16 | 12 | Precautionary |
| Northern Pike | 55-60 cm | 16 | 8 | Mercury |
| Walleye | 40-45 cm | 16 | 4 | Mercury |
| Burbot (Ling) | 50-55 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 7. Check seasons and limits before you fish.
Follow this lake
Every Friday by email: the Environment Canada forecast and any weather alerts in effect.