Asahal Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  This water sits in Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia. The surface lies 884 metres up. Small at around 9 hectares: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Our Cariboo Regional District list holds plenty of bigger water. 9.1 km away sits Williams Lake, the nearest town. 108 Mile Ranch is 62 km and 100 Mile House 74 km. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Asahal Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Cariboo Regional District include sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, bull trout, Coho salmon and longnose sucker. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Asahal Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 16°C and January about -8°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Asahal Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Williams Lake, 5.2 km away, makes the obvious fallback. For Asahal Lake in particular, ask before you travel.