Bills Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Bills Lake in Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, British Columbia. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. Surface area is around 49 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Some 5.7 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Supplies mean a trip to Prince George, 83 km off. The big place round here is Kamloops, 466 km distant. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Bills Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Records held for Regional District of Fraser-Fort George cover Chinook salmon, sockeye salmon and mountain whitefish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Fish Bills Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 14°C, with January the cold end at about -9°C. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about mid November in an average year. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. That is the shape of the year on Bills Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Horseshoe Lake sits 5.3 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Bills Lake may have changed since it was mapped.