Fishing at Benson Lake, Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia

• Overview

  This water sits in Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia. The surroundings are rolling bush. At about 66 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Around 4.6 km of margin, front to back. 29 km away sits Quesnel, the nearest town. Further out sit Williams Lake (85 km) and Prince George (121 km). Within a short run: Robertson Lake at 1.7 km, Porcupine Lake just 12 km, Angus Lake at 12 km, Yeates Lake just 12 km and Nyland Lake at 15 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Benson Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Cariboo Regional District include sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon, bull trout and Coho salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Take Benson Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 14°C, with January the cold end at about -8°C. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at mid November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. That is the shape of the year on Benson Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Robertson Lake is 1.7 km distant. None of that is settled for Benson Lake in what we hold.