Affleck Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, British Columbia, you have Affleck Lake. It sits in pine and birch. With some 17 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The full circuit measures close to 1.7 km on foot. It is a small entry by Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine standards. You are 90 km from Smithers. Kamloops sits 735 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Affleck Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine include pink salmon, Chum salmon, Coho salmon and sockeye salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Treat Affleck Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -8°C in January and 13°C in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It holds true on Affleck Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. For a change of water, Pentz Lake is 2.8 km distant. Confirm before you fish Affleck Lake.