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177,405-acre lake near Barrie. The lake tops out around 135 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
The outline encloses 178,184 acres, worked by 179.7 miles of shoreline — 9 islands included. A development index of 3 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. 18% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Call it 28.7 mi long by 22.6 mi wide at the broadest reach. York Regional Municipality claims this one. Little Lake sits 13 mi west — the closest neighbouring chart.
Early season lake trout use the shallows, holding in 10 to 40 ft. Summer is a 50 to 120 ft game here, winter a 20 to 80 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deepest basin — deep basin, 122 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (11 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Deepest basin (122 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (11 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Deep break (58 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Spring puts yellow perch in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Spring yellow perch concentrate at Feeding flat, a prime-rated feeding flat around 5 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Feeding flat (5 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Feeding flat (26 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Deep break (43 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Feeding flat (26 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring puts lake whitefish in skinny water — 15 to 45 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 40 to 90 ft; cold water stacks them in 25 to 70 ft. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 11 ft, rated prime for fall lake whitefish. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (26 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Deep break (58 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Rock reef (11 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Deep break (58 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Spring smallmouth bass on Lake Simcoe hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 45 ft. The chart's best answer is Rock reef — rock pile, 11 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (11 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (11 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (12 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Deep break (43 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Put Shoreline point first on the milk run — a point near 6 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Feeding flat (5 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (12 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep break (43 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring northern pike on Lake Simcoe hold shallow, usually 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. The chart's best answer is Holland River inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 3 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Holland River inflow (3 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Feeding flat (16 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Feeding flat (5 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Lake Simcoe also holds crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), cisco (lake herring) (40 to 80 ft in summer), walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), channel catfish (8 to 25 ft in summer), burbot (50 to 120 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 59 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 133 ft.
Access data: Land Information Ontario — Fishing Access Point. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
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 Lake Simcoe specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Ontario fishing regulations →
Lake Simcoe is about 135 ft (41 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target lake trout, yellow perch, lake whitefish, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie, cisco (lake herring), walleye, rock bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, channel catfish, burbot, common carp, longnose gar on Lake Simcoe.
Rock reef is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for lake whitefish in fall. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For lake trout, 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 Lake Simcoe 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 Lake 13 mi · Bass Lake 15 mi · Mud Lake 18 mi · Mud Lake 20 mi · Lake Couchiching 20 mi · Wagner Lake 20 mi · Lake St. John 21 mi · Canal Lake 21 mi · Dalrymple Lake 23 mi · Orr Lake 24 mi · Young Lake 25 mi · Grass Lake 25 mi
See how Lake Simcoe stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Ontario · best smallmouth bass lakes in Ontario · best walleye lakes in Ontario · best northern pike lakes in Ontario
More water nearby: York Regional Municipality fishing maps (16 charts). Browse all Ontario fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.