Bras Lake, British Columbia: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine, Bras Lake is a British Columbia water. The land about it is pine and birch. About 7 hectares of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is a small entry by Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine standards. Some 86 km away sits Smithers, the nearest settlement. It is 730 km to Kamloops, the nearest city. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Bras Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine include pink salmon, Chum salmon, Coho salmon and sockeye salmon. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Bras Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -8°C to 15°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Time your trip to Bras Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. If the gate is shut, Sunday Lake at 1 km is the nearest alternative. Where Bras Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.