Rice Lake (Ontario): Depth Map, Fishing, Boat Launches & Water Quality

Map of Rice Lake with depth contours — Rice Lake
44.1735° N, 78.1861° W

Depth contours from the 1970 government survey. Not for navigation.

Rice Lake, Ontario. 44.1735° N, 78.1861° W

Maximum depth 11 m (1970 survey). Scale bar on the map.

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 Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.

borealbound.ca/lakes/on/rice-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).
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.

Rice Lake is 11 m deep at its deepest point, shallower than 68% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario. It covers 95.4 km² and lies beside Bewdley.

Government surveys have recorded 24 fish species here, including yellow perch, walleye and bluegill.

Maximum depth: 11 msurveyed 1970; shallower than 68% of the 2,688 surveyed lakes in Ontario
Area: 95.4 km²; larger than 99% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
Shoreline: 166 km; longer than 99% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
Water clarity: 1.7 mSecchi depth, 2023; less clear than 91% of the 1,251 monitored lakes in Ontario
Fish species: 24; more than 98% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
Elevation: 184 m

Today on the water

6.8 °C

Mostly CloudyWind WSW 5 km/h, gusts 28

Observed at Peterborough, as of 2:00 a.m. EDT

choppy Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.4 m.

Hourly forecast, next 24 hours
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	0.4
Temp. °C	6	6	8	12	15	14	8	4
Precip. %	20	40	40	40	20	20	0	0

Tonight: Partly cloudy. 40 percent chance of showers this evening. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light this evening. Low plus 5.

Weather: Peterborough (local forecast), as of 2:02 a.m. EDT

Sun and moon

Civil dawn: 6:51 a.m.
Sunrise: 7:20 a.m.
Sunset: 6:39 p.m.
Civil dusk: 7:07 p.m.
Moonrise: 6:12 a.m.
Moonset: 5:57 p.m.
Moon: Waning crescent, 1% lit

Air Quality Health Index

2 low risk

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

Follow this lake by email: a weekly summary of conditions.

Depth

56% of Rice Lake is shallower than 3 m, and 4% is deeper than 5 m.

0 m3 m6 m9 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 1970 records a maximum depth of 11 m, drawn from 253 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 103 government surveys (1977–2015) that recorded them.

Yellow Perch100 of 103
Walleye81 of 103
Bluegill58 of 103
Pumpkinseed49 of 103
Black Crappie40 of 103
Smallmouth Bass37 of 103
Largemouth Bass18 of 103
Rock Bass11 of 103
Muskellunge3 of 103
Brook Trout1 of 103Not recorded since 1977
Tiger Muskellunge1 of 103

Forage fish and other species (13)

Forage fish

Spottail Shiner 27
Logperch 15
Trout-Perch 13
Golden Shiner 12
Blacknose Dace 1
Bluntnose Minnow 1
Creek Chub 1
Northern Pearl Dace 1
Rainbow Smelt 1

Other

Brown Bullhead 40
White Sucker 32
Round Goby 8
Common Carp 5

Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.

Eating your catch

The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 13 species from Rice Lake. Maximum meals per month:

Species	Length	General population	Sensitive population*	Contaminant
Black Crappie	20-25 cm	8	8	PFAS
Bluegill	15-20 cm	4	4	PFAS
Largemouth Bass	30-35 cm	2	Do not eat	PCB
Muskellunge	>75 cm	2	Do not eat	PCB
Northern Pike	55-60 cm	12	12	PCB
Pumpkinseed	15-20 cm	4	4	PCB
Rock Bass	15-20 cm	4	4	PCB
Smallmouth Bass	35-40 cm	2	Do not eat	PCB
Walleye	40-45 cm	4	4	PCB
Yellow Perch	20-25 cm	12	8	PCB
Brown Bullhead	25-30 cm	8	8	PCB
Common Carp	55-60 cm	1	Do not eat	PCB
White Sucker	40-45 cm	4	4	PCB

* 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 17. Check seasons and limits before you fish.