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108-acre lake in Haliburton County, Ontario. The lake tops out around 39 ft. The chart is a model: real shoreline, published maximum depth, interpolated in between. A planning tool, never a navigation product. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
Drawn out, this is 109 acres of water rimmed by 2.5 miles of bank. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.7) — enough points and pockets to pattern. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 49% of this chart, as modeled. The basin spans about 0.9 mi end to end and 0.4 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in Haliburton County. The nearest mapped water is Little Orillia Lake, 1 mi to the south.
Spring cisco (lake herring) on Big Orillia Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 39 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 12 to 39 ft in summer, 12 to 39 ft once it turns cold. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 33 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (33 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 12 to 39 ft | dawn | Deep basin (33 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (18 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 12 to 39 ft | dawn | Deep basin (33 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Break off the point (18 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (33 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (33 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: smallmouth bass in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 12 to 39 ft for winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (18 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 12 to 39 ft | midday | Break off the point (18 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring puts brown bullhead in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 25 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring brown bullhead. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (33 ft) |
The chart marks 6 structure features on Big Orillia Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 33 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 Big Orillia Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Big Orillia Lake is about 39 ft (12 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 cisco (lake herring), yellow perch, smallmouth bass, brown bullhead on Big Orillia Lake.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 33 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For cisco (lake herring), 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 Big Orillia 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.
Little Orillia Lake 1 mi · Spring Lake 1 mi · Gullfeather Lake 1 mi · Tear Lake 1 mi · Circular Lake 2 mi · Lilypad Lake 2 mi · Crosson Lake 2 mi · McLean Lake 7 2 mi · McLean Lake 8 2 mi · Sprat Lake 2 mi · Goodman Lake 2 mi · Keyhole Lake 3 mi
See how Big Orillia Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best yellow perch lakes in Ontario · best cisco (lake herring) lakes in Ontario · best brown bullhead lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: Haliburton County fishing maps (295 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps or 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.