Bear Lake Fishing near Coldstream, British Columbia

• Overview

  This water sits in Regional District of North Okanagan, British Columbia. The ground around here is mixed forest. Surface area runs to about 7 hectares — small enough to read in one session. Coldstream at 7.4 km is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Kelowna is 37 km off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Bear Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Regional District of North Okanagan include Coho salmon, sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon and rainbow trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Take Bear Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between -8°C in January and 14°C in August. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. At Bear Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. 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. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Kaiser Bill Lake at 1.9 km is the sensible second choice. The position on Bear Lake is worth confirming on the day.