Barge Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Barge Lake is one of the Regional District of Central Okanagan listings for British Columbia. The bank is 1,318 metres above sea level. At roughly 6 hectares, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. 26 km away sits Okanagan Mission, the nearest town. Rutland is 26 km and Ellison 28 km. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Barge Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Regional District of Central Okanagan list sockeye salmon, rainbow trout, common carp and largescale sucker. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Anyone new to Barge Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 15°C for August and -8°C for January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at mid November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Time your trip to Barge Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. 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. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Idabel Lake at 1.8 km is the sensible second choice. Treat access at Barge Lake as something to verify.