Pigeon Lake

Peterborough County, Ontario · MNRF bathymetric survey

12.2m Mapped depth
40 ft

7,252 ha 13 contours Fishing access

Paddling Index30Modest

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Depth scale

00.91.833.76.19.112.2 m

The lake

Survey readout

Pigeon Lake is mapped to a depth of 12.2 m (40 ft) on the Ontario MNRF survey and covers about 7,252 ha (17,920 acres) in Peterborough County, Ontario. Depths come from the Ontario MNRF survey of 1967.

Measured from the Ontario MNRF bathymetry survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 12.2 m (40 ft)
Survey year: 1967
Surface area: 7,252 ha (17,920 acres)
Shoreline: 77.2 km (48.0 mi) · irregular
Fishing access: 3 MNRF fishing access points · 3 boat launches

Additional depth details13 contours

Contour depths: 0–12.2 m (40 ft)
Deep-spot markers: 12.2 m (40 ft), 3 m (10 ft)

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Location

Peterborough County, Ontario · 15 nearest of 96 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: Ontario MNRF / LIO Bathymetry, Ontario FRI LiDAR DTM, OpenStreetMap (ODbL), Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario, Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (Sentinel-2), processed by ontariolakedepths.com.

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Map details & sources5 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over Ontario LiDAR (FRI DTM) elevation, with a Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 44.49558, -78.49412
MNRF lake ID: 17-6992-49270
Basemap: Copernicus Sentinel-2 · ESA, via Microsoft Planetary Computer
Model size: 0.9 MB

Check the source: this lake’s record (17-6992-49270) in the Ontario MNRF bathymetry index, and the contour line layer the map is drawn from (Land Information Ontario open data, Open Government Licence – Ontario). Survey year: 1967. This model was built 2026-09-29. Depths between contours are interpolated, not measured.

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-29

30 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Pigeon Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, long open-water fetch, substantial nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	12.3 of 35	36% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (4% forest, 30% wetland; 6% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Modest	1.5 of 29	mean fetch 12,855 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long open-water fetch
Motor & speed rules	Not modelled	—	Canada publishes vessel motor and speed restrictions as federal legal schedules, not map data, so they are not part of the Ontario index. Check local signage and Transport Canada rules before going out.
Public access	Good	15.0 of 18	3 MNRF fishing access points · boat ramp · ADA-accessible
Road isolation	Modest	0.9 of 18	substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 1541 Ontario Road Network segments within 1.2 km (traffic estimated from road class, not measured)

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: Limited — 4% forest and 30% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Mapped wildlife habitat: Mapped — Ontario MNRF has mapped deer wintering areas within 1 km of this lake. These are habitat records from provincial surveys, not animal counts; areas with nothing mapped may still hold wildlife. · Ontario MNRF Wildlife Values Area. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.

Compare Ontario lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public land-cover, access and road-network data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights for Ontario lakes: natural setting 35%, geometric wind exposure 29%, public access 18%, road isolation 18%. Motor and speed restrictions are not modelled for Ontario, and road traffic is estimated from road class, not measured. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Ontario scores are relative to other Ontario lakes and are not directly comparable with Paddling Index scores on our sister sites, which use different data sources and include a watercraft-rules component. Sources: Ontario MNRF bathymetry outline (0 m contour or survey index polygon), Ontario Land Cover v1.0, Ontario MNRF (Open Government Licence – Ontario) (2020), Ontario MNRF Fishing Access Points (Open Government Licence – Ontario) (2026-09) and Ontario Road Network (Open Government Licence – Ontario); traffic estimated by road class, not measured (2026-09). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Angler catch reports

Fish ON-Line · 2014–2026

What anglers say they caught here, logged trip by trip in Ontario’s Fish ON-Line app — most recently in July 2026.

31Trips logged

12Species

339Fish reported

Common Carp

Goldeye

Pictures are sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colours, not photographs (provenance).

All species & trip details12 species

Largemouth Bass13 of 31 trips · 52 caught

Pumpkinseed9 of 31 trips · 86 caught

Bluegill8 of 31 trips · 60 caught

Smallmouth Bass7 of 31 trips · 64 caught

Rock Bass5 of 31 trips · 19 caught

Walleye5 of 31 trips · 11 caught

Muskellunge5 of 31 trips · 8 caught

Yellow Perch3 of 31 trips · 10 caught

Black Crappie2 of 31 trips · 22 caught

Yellow Bullhead1 trip · one angler’s report · 4 caught

Common Carp1 trip · one angler’s report · 2 caught

Goldeye1 trip · one angler’s report · 1 caught

How people fish it: boat 58% · shore 39% · ice 3%
Catch rate: about 2.6 fish an hour, all species together (31 trips, 129 hours logged)
Kept: 15% of the fish reported; the rest were released

About these fish → the Fish of Ontario guide

Trips are logged voluntarily by anglers in Ontario’s Fish ON-Line app. This is what people report catching, not a Ministry survey, and a species nobody has logged may still be here. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Source: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Fish ON-Line. A logged catch does not mean it is legal to catch or keep: check the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary for this lake’s zone and exceptions.

Quick answers

Pigeon Lake — common questions

How deep is Pigeon Lake?

The deepest contour on the Ontario MNRF bathymetric survey of Pigeon Lake is 12.2 m (40 ft). That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Pigeon Lake?

Pigeon Lake covers about 7,252 ha (17,920 acres) in Peterborough County, Ontario.

Is there public access to Pigeon Lake?

The Ontario MNRF lists 3 fishing access points within 100 m of the shoreline of Pigeon Lake: 3 boat launches. Recorded ownership: 1 municipal. The list includes municipal and privately owned sites, and some may charge a fee or restrict parking, so it confirms a place anglers use rather than a public right of way. Check locally before you go.

More lakes in Peterborough County