Porcupine Lake
48.4849° N, 81.1881° W
Depth contours from the 1959 government survey. Not for navigation.
Download the depth map (SVG)Porcupine Lake, Ontario. 48.4849° N, 81.1881° W
Maximum depth 4.6 m (1959 survey). Scale bar on the map.
Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.
borealbound.ca/lakes/on/porcupine-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.
- 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).
- 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.
Porcupine Lake is 4.6 m deep at its deepest point, shallower than 90% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario. It covers 2.75 km² and lies beside Pottsville.
Government surveys have recorded 4 fish species here, including northern pike, walleye and yellow perch.
- Maximum depth
- 4.6 msurveyed 1959
- shallower than 90% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Area
- 2.75 km²
- larger than 85% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Shoreline
- 8.4 km
- longer than 69% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
- Water clarity
- 2 mSecchi depth, 2018
- less clear than 86% of the 1,251 monitored lakes in Ontario
- Fish species
- 4
- fewer than 51% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
- Elevation
- 276 m
Today on the water
3 °C
Observed at Timmins, as of 7:00 a.m. EDT
choppy Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.2 m. Around 11 a.m., wind from the northwest: the northwest shore is sheltered, waves build toward the southeast shore.
| Time | 8 a.m. | 11 a.m. | 2 p.m. | 5 p.m. | 8 p.m. | 11 p.m. | 2 a.m. | 5 a.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind km/h | W 15 | NW 20 | NW 20 | NW 20 | var. 5 | var. 5 | var. 5 | var. 5 |
| Gusts km/h | 40 | 40 | 40 | |||||
| Waves (est.) m | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | ||||
| Temp. °C | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | -2 |
| Precip. % | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Today: Cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers early this morning then a mix of sun and cloud. Wind becoming northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 late this morning. High 8. UV index 3 or moderate.
Weather: Timmins (local forecast), as of 7:05 a.m. EDT
Water level
Porcupine Lake near Porcupine: 97.54 m at 5:50 a.m. EDT: 15 cm below the median for this time of year, below the normal range.
Normal range (25th–75th percentile, HYDAT) Last 7 days
Provisional real-time data, subject to revision. hydrometric station 04MD005
Sun and moon
- Civil dawn
- 7:04 a.m.
- Sunrise
- 7:35 a.m.
- Sunset
- 6:47 p.m.
- Civil dusk
- 7:18 p.m.
- Moonrise
- 6:27 a.m.
- Moonset
- 6:05 p.m.
- Moon
- Waning crescent, 1% lit
Depth
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 1959 records a maximum depth of 4.6 m, drawn from 4 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 5 government surveys (2019–2019) that recorded them.
Other species (1)
- White Sucker 5
Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.
Eating your catch
The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 4 species from Porcupine Lake. Maximum meals per month:
| Species | Length | General population | Sensitive population* | Contaminant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Pike | 55-60 cm | 2 | Do not eat | Mercury |
| Walleye | 40-45 cm | 2 | Do not eat | Mercury |
| Yellow Perch | 20-25 cm | 16 | 4 | Mercury |
| White Sucker | 40-45 cm | 12 | 12 | Selenium |
* 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 8. Check seasons and limits before you fish.
Water
Clarity was measured with a Secchi disk in 2 years between 2005 and 2018; the latest annual mean is 2 m.
Getting on the water
1 listed boat launch; 1 with parking listed. marks launches on the map.
- Boat launch