Big Onion Lake in Cariboo Regional District: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia, sits Big Onion Lake. The bank is 1,329 metres above sea level. Surface area is around 61 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. You are looking at roughly 8.0 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. For a base, Hanceville sits 70 km out. Williams Lake follows at 131 km, then Pemberton at 135 km. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Big Onion Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Cariboo Regional District include sockeye salmon, Chinook salmon and bull trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Read Big Onion Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 12°C in August and bottoms out near -9°C in December. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early May. Climate averages put the opening at about early May and the closing near mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Big Onion Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Fish Lake is 4.5 km off. Nothing on Big Onion Lake should be assumed from this page alone.