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957-acre lake in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. The lake tops out around 95 ft. Bathymetry on this water is estimated from its real outline and maximum depth. Use it to shortlist water, then verify with your electronics — and never navigate by it. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Barnard Lake maps at 964 acres behind 20.2 miles of shoreline, broken up by an island. An index of 4.7 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. 26% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 4.9 mi, about 1.9 mi across. Thunder Bay District claims this one. Fowler Lake sits 3 mi northwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
Start shallow in spring: lake whitefish sit in 15 to 45 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 40 to 90 ft; cold water stacks them in 25 to 70 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 81 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (43 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Deep basin (81 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Main-lake point (24 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (43 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 24 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. Time it for the evening and early morning. You won't need more than a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (24 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Main-lake point (24 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (43 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: yellow perch in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (43 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
When the water first warms, northern pike slide up into 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: rock bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 5 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 12 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Main-lake point, a point in the 24 ft range, prime in fall. Fish it in the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | open water | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 5 to 20 ft | dusk | Main-lake point (24 ft) | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 8 to 22 ft | midday | Main-lake point (24 ft) | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | midday | open water | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
When the water first warms, burbot slide up into 25 to 70 ft. Summer is a 29 to 95 ft game here, winter a 15 to 60 ft one. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 81 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run after dark and midday. Keep a heavy jig + cut bait rigged through the warm months.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 70 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (81 ft) | Glow jigging spoon + cut bait, Rattle bait (dark) |
| Summer | 29 to 95 ft chart-limited; documented 50 to 120 ft | night & midday | Deep basin (81 ft) | Heavy jig + cut bait |
| Fall | 30 to 80 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (81 ft) | Glow spoon + minnow head, Blade bait (slow) |
| Winter | 15 to 60 ft | night & dusk | Break off the point (43 ft) | Glow tungsten + cut bait, Rattle spoon + minnow head |
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 81 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Ontario waters are set by the Ontario fishing regulations (FMZ summary) — and special regulations can apply to Barnard Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Barnard Lake is about 95 ft (29 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target lake whitefish, walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, rock bass, burbot on Barnard Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 81 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For lake whitefish, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Barnard Lake is regulated by the Ontario fishing regulations (FMZ summary). Check the official Ontario regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Fowler Lake 3 mi · Eady Lake 4 mi · Fly Lake 4 mi · Die Lake 5 mi · Davies Lake 5 mi · Zen Lake 6 mi · Fourbay Lake 6 mi · Upper Port L. 7 mi · Caribou L. 8 mi · Sahara Lake 8 mi · Bent Lake 8 mi · Dizzy Lake 9 mi
See how Barnard Lake stacks up: best walleye lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario · best lake whitefish lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: Thunder Bay District fishing maps (662 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.